Vance heads to competitive Wisconsin district to highlight Trump's economy

By Nandita Bose

Feb 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President JD Vance will travel on Thursday to a competitive district in Wisconsin, as the White House steps up efforts to protect the narrow Republican majority in the House of Representatives ahead of November's midterm elections.

Vance will visit Plover, part of Wisconsin's third congressional district, represented by Republican Derrick Van Orden and one of two Republican-held seats in the state that Democrats are targeting this cycle.

The vice president is set to tour a manufacturing facility to underscore President Donald Trump's economic message following his State of the Union address on Tuesday.

During that speech, Trump offered a broad-based sweep of kitchen-table economic issues - housing, healthcare and utility bills - but he stopped short of acknowledging that many Americans are still struggling with the high cost of living, including food and housing prices.

Some Republican party strategists have warned that without a more emphatic message on inflation, Republicans are at risk of losing control of Congress in the November election.

Vance's trip is part of a White House push to showcase the president and top administration officials in key battleground areas to highlight Trump's economic agenda. Later this week, the president is scheduled to visit Texas for an event focused on energy and the economy.

National Democrats said this week they are ramping up spending in the Wisconsin district, where Van Orden won re-election in 2024 by fewer than three percentage points.

Trump carried the district by seven points in 2024, part of a sweep of battleground states that propelled him to victory. The president endorsed Van Orden in the 2026 race 10 months ago.

The trip will mark Vance's second visit to the district. He traveled to La Crosse, Wisconsin in August to promote President Trump's tax and spending law.