TOLEDO, Ohio - House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries indicated Sunday that electoral conditions remain favorable for Democrats while he campaigned for Rep. Marcy Kaptur in a closely watched Ohio congressional district vital to gaining House majority control.

Jeffries also criticized President Donald Trump's sudden choice to lift sanctions on Russia and noted plans for a bipartisan House push to create a fresh sanctions measure that the president could not waive.

"It is startling, yet expected, that an American president would act to weaken support for democracy, liberty and respect for the Ukrainian people," Jeffries told The Associated Press after attending church services in Toledo.

Jeffries, positioned to become House speaker should Democrats secure the majority, has visited around 50 cities to back Democratic candidates. He described House Republicans as "detached from facts" in believing, as Speaker Mike Johnson recently indicated, that the Nov. 3 election will mirror the 2024 outcome that installed Trump in the White House and Republicans in Congress.

"We are pushing forward nationwide, building the argument that bold shifts are needed instead of continuing as before," Jeffries said, "and that Democrats alone will work to improve affordability across the country."

The Buckeye State faces intense competition in these midterm contests that will decide congressional control. While focus often falls on the Senate matchup between Republican Sen. Jon Husted and Democrat Sherrod Brown, House races proceed district by district and prove essential to chamber leadership.

The Toledo-area House seat ranks as a key target. Kaptur, in office for many years, stands as the longest-serving woman in the House. Yet Trump has won the district and Republicans seek to capture it. Kaptur beat GOP candidate Derek Merrin two years prior, but he returns for another attempt.

"We put in significant effort," Kaptur told AP. "We do not limit work to elections. We strive to improve lives for residents."

In August, Kaptur, 80, was en route to church when the vehicle she rode in was hit. She received hospital care for accident injuries but reported full recovery since.