Storyline · general · 2 reports from 2 newsrooms

Online Right’s Cheeky Closing Campaign Tactics

First reported Oct 29, 5:10 AM ET · Latest Nov 2, 6:17 PM ET · Explainer updated Nov 2, 7:06 PM ET

Where things stand

As Democrats prepare for large gains in Tuesday’s midterm elections, the online right has turned to bizarre Star Wars fan fiction and memes, according to WIRED. Earlier, Axios reported that President Trump is using a “cheeky” strategy that focuses on praising the physical strength of a vulnerable Ohio Republican senator, while also commenting on his own attraction to male candidates as part of an election tactic.

What to watch

The midterm elections are scheduled for Tuesday; no further dates were reported.

Continuum

Facts

Facts appear here as Relay matches them to the reports.

Timeline

Every report, newest first

  1. The Online Right’s Closing Campaign Argument: Fascist Anakin Skywalker Memes — WIRED

    With Democrats poised to make significant gains in Tuesday’s midterm elections, Trump supporters have been reduced to posting bizarre Star Wars fan fiction.

  2. GOP's closing argument gets cheeky — Axios

    President Trump seems to think he can save a vulnerable Ohio Republican senator's ass by talking about how strong it is. Why it matters: Republicans are getting hammered over the war in Iran, gas prices and data centers. But they're playing along with Trump's…

Questions

  • It remains unclear how effective these meme‑driven tactics are at influencing undecided voters or whether they will shift the overall election outcome. Open

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More: background

The “closing campaign argument” refers to the final push by a political party to sway voters just before an election. In recent weeks, the Republican side has been criticized for blaming external issues such as the war in Iran, gas prices, and data center concerns, while also employing unconventional online content—ranging from meme culture to personal compliments about candidates’ physiques—to energize their base.

How this works: stories from different newsrooms are grouped by topic, then AI writes the explainer using only those reports. It may miss context the reports don't include.