Some traveled to Youngstown and Greenville, others to Dalton and Bullhead City.
asserted
others → travel → Dalton
Some made their fortunes on the mound, others in football, the ring and the front seat of fast cars.
asserted
Some → make → cars
Recently, they have all been recruited by Donald Trump.
asserted
they → recruit → Trump
In the run-up to the midterm elections, Trump has made a late dash across the country, flanked on the campaign trail by a curious collection of sports stars.
asserted
Trump → make → stars
It is a familiar strategy but one the president has leaned on time and again as election day nears.
asserted
day → lean → ?
Over a three-and-a-half-week blitz across nearly a dozen states, Trump has called athlete after athlete to help rally support for Republican candidates.
asserted
Trump → call → candidates
And yet, with only days to go, the GOP is staring down the barrel: current forecasts predict the Democrats will take both the House of Representatives and the Senate, crippling Trump's presidency.
asserted
Democrats → go → presidency
One Republican previously warned the midterms will be a 'f***ing bloodbath.
asserted
midterms → warn → ?
So the Daily Mail spoke to political strategists and campaigners and researchers to ask why Trump enjoys having athletes by his side – and to find out whether their backing could really swing any votes.
uncertain
backing → speak → votes
Donald Trump has been surrounded by athletes such as Mike Tyson ahead of the midterms
Former race car driver Danica Patrick is pictured alongside the president on the campaign trail
Trump's has made repeated references to athletes' physiques - such as Jaxson Dart's legs
For several, the answer is unequivocal.
asserted
answer → surround → several
'They will have no impact at all,' said Kevin Madden, who worked as a senior strategist on three presidential campaigns.
asserted
who → have → campaigns
Mark Harvey, whose book Celebrity Influence examined the power of superstars on politics, agreed.
asserted
book → examine → politics
'There's almost no evidence to suggest that these athletes or celebrities or whoever make any difference,' he said.
asserted
he → be → difference
One of the more puzzling themes of recent times has been Trump's repeated references to the physique of athletes – such as Jaxson Dart's 'tree trunk' legs and the muscular 'a**' of ex-college football player-turned senator Jon Husted – Harvey wondered whether Trump simply feels 'virile' being around them.
asserted
Trump → repeat → them
'If you look at the pattern of the kinds of endorsers he's gotten since he was elected, they tend to be masculine,' he added.
asserted
he → look → endorsers
But as another source put it: 'You can't win a political race on testosterone only.'
asserted
You → put → testosterone
Instead, insiders argue that, for voters, the 'endorphin rush' that comes with attending a rally will inevitably subside before 'reality sets in again.'
asserted
reality → argue → rally
'This entire campaign environment is being shaped by economic concerns... about the rising costs of everything from gas to food and housing,' Madden explained.
asserted
Madden → shape → food
As renowned political pollster David Paleologos pointed out: 'After a rally, you still have to pay a lot of money for a gallon of gas [or] a pound of beef.
asserted
you → point → beef
That doesn't go away.'
In this climate, when nearly 50 percent of Americans are struggling to afford basic necessities such as healthcare, rent and food, Paleologos questions the wisdom of Trump, a billionaire, surrounding himself with other glamorous celebrities.
asserted
Trump → go → celebrities
NASCAR legend Richard Petty speaks during a rally in Greenville, North Carolina
Former football stars Danny Amendola and Johnny Manziel step off Air Force One in Texas
'It may have a negative effect,' he said.
uncertain
he → speak → effect
Or, as Harvey said: 'What is going to drive my vote? Is it going to be high gas prices, or what some athlete says?'
It is not beyond celebrities to help shine a light on a particular issue.
asserted
It → say → issue
'Whether or not they can persuade people is another [question]' Harvey added.
asserted
Harvey → persuade → people
Back in 2008, when Barack Obama was tussling for the Democratic nomination, research co-authored by Craig Garthwaite argued that Oprah Winfrey's endorsement gave him a boost of roughly 1 million votes.
asserted
endorsement → tussle → votes
But that race was different – the policy gap between candidates was wafer thin, meaning voters were eyeing 'other character or personality or credibility-based reasons to separate them,' Garthwaite told the Daily Mail.
asserted
Garthwaite → mean → Mail
These midterms, on the other hand, are taking place in a polarized country where red and blue are divided by vast cultural chasms.
asserted
red → take → chasms
Which begs the question: what material difference does Trump believe Tyson and Co can have?
asserted
Tyson → beg → difference
Particularly when their input can be, limited.
asserted
input → limit → ?
For a rally in Dalton, Trump brought along ex-Georgia and NFL running back Todd Gurley.
asserted
Trump → bring → Gurley
The president called him a 'handsome guy... a fantastic guy' and reeled off some of Gurley's rushing records.
asserted
president → call → records
'I don't want to tackle him.
asserted
I → want → him
He looks good,' Trump added before inviting the 32-year-old up on stage.
asserted
Trump → look → stage
Gurley kept it brief, thanking Trump, 80, for taking him on Air Force One and allowing him into the White House.
asserted
Gurley → keep → House
He thanked the state of Georgia for their support and finished with the rallying cry: 'Go Dawgs!'
asserted
He → thank → Dawgs
Afterwards, the former running back admitted he isn't a particular fan of Trump.
asserted
he → admit → Trump
'I never really thought too much into it,' he said.
asserted
he → think → it
'I just wanted to go for myself and my experience.'
asserted
I → want → myself
Ex-NFL running back Todd Gurley walks off stage after speaking at a campaign rally in Dalton
Trump's use of stars such as Evander Holyfield is said to be part of a plot to target male voters
asserted
use → walk → voters
Another athlete told the Daily Mail it was a 'surreal... once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' to fly on the president's jet and tour the Oval Office.
asserted
it → tell → Office
But how does that help Republican candidates in tight races?
asserted
that → help → races
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
