Excitement grows for Trump rally in Oklahoma despite downpours
DURANT — Pouring rain did little to dampen the sense of anticipation among hundreds of people waiting to see President Donald Trump at his first appearance in Oklahoma since 2020.
The Republican president selected the Sooner State for his first stop in a three-state tour to rally for GOP candidates ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm election.
A small crowd of people waiting to get in formed as soon as the sun rose on Thursday, Oct. 1. It rained for hours as the line continued to grow with people decked out in raincoats over their red, white and blue clothing. Trump was not set to take the stage until 6 p.m.
Stacy Thompson, of Durant, waited in the rain along with at least 500 other people who signed up for free tickets to the event. He said he wanted to show support for the president and also for the nation.
Live updates: Crowds gather in Durant as Trump's Oklahoma rally set to begin
"It needs all the support it can get; we're divided, and we need the country to come together," said Thompson, a Republican.
He said he was also glad to back Mike Mazzei, the Republican candidate for Oklahoma governor, who planned to appear at the event.
Trump is hoping his appearance in Oklahoma can help boost Republican candidates in key races that could determine the balance of power in Congress. None of the most-closely watched races are in Oklahoma, where Trump won 66% of the vote in 2024. Pollsters say GOP candidates appear on track to retain all of the state's seats in Congress because Republicans outnumber Democrats by a margin of two to one.
More: Trump heads to Oklahoma as GOP faces midterm election concerns
But in Durant, Trump found a friendly crowd and a convenient location just 15 minutes north of Texas, where voters will decide a toss-up U.S. Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico.
A survey of license plates in the parking lots outside Choctaw Event Center, where the rally was being held, signaled that most attendees had traveled from either Oklahoma or Texas. People who spoke with The Oklahoman as they were waiting to get inside had traveled from different parts of both states, including as far away as Troy, Texas, more than 200 miles south of Durant.
Nhat Nguyen said he started driving at 4 a.m. from Houston to attend the rally. While the weather made the trip more difficult, he said he was happy to deal with the rain in order to get into the event.
"I support Trump, and I support the U.S.A.," he said, before he yelled, "Make America Great Again!" and drew cheers from people around him.
James Lankford, Oklahoma's senior Republican U.S. senator, traveled with Trump from Washington, D.C., to the rally. Trump and his entourage planned to land in Texas, tour a factory north of Dallas, then cross the Red River to Durant.
Oklahoma's second seat in the U.S. Senate will be decided in the Nov. 3 election. Both Trump and Lankford have endorsed the Republican candidate on the ballot, U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern of Tulsa.
Opponents of Trump made plans to demonstrate outside the rally, but his supporters appeared to make up a majority of the people in line.
Marie Jenkins, of Ada, said some people had given her a hard time about her decision to attend the rally, which she considered to be a once-in-a-lifetime event.
"I've been excited for a whole week," she said. "I couldn't even sleep last night."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Excitement grows for Trump rally in Oklahoma despite downpours
