Published October 13, 2026 at 12:00 PM EDT

In his first visit to Ohio since 2018, former President Barack Obama is now scheduled to rally with the two major statewide Democratic candidates later this month.

Obama will join both Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown and gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton in Cleveland on Saturday, Oct. 24, according to a Brown campaign spokesperson.

Although Ohio has shifted into reliably red territory over the last decade, the two-term Democratic president won Ohio in 2008 and 2012. In a video endorsing Brown, Obama said Brown “believes in the promise of America.”

“This race is going to be close,” Obama said. “It could determine which party controls the Senate, and whether Ohioans can count on the people in Washington to be fighting for you.”

In recent days, he’s rolled out near-identical endorsements of Democratic candidates in other key races. And the same day as the Cleveland rally, Obama is scheduled for another one in Detroit with U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson.

As some Ohioans sour on President Donald Trump, the contest between GOP incumbent Sen. Jon Husted and Brown looks increasingly tight. Since the beginning of the month, Trump and Vice President JD Vance have already made three visits for rallies for Husted, who said last week he felt “great.”

“Honestly, we have been traveling the state, and you can just feel the energy change over the last month,” he said.

As of Friday, more than 170,000 voters have already cast their ballot, according to data from the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.