President Donald Trump closed his midterm campaign with rallies in Dubuque, Iowa, and Salina, Kansas, on Sunday, as Republicans defend their Senate and House majorities ahead of Tuesday’s Election Day. The Trump midterm rallies came at the end of a campaign that has been turbulent, according to the outline’s sourcing.
According to ABC News US, Trump spoke for two hours in Dubuque before heading to Salina. Both states are ones he has won handily in the past.
At the rallies, Trump said Republicans were on the verge of sweeping victories on Election Day, according to PBS NewsHour headlines. He vowed to elect "America first" Republicans up and down the line.
According to ABC News US, more than 54 million votes had already been cast before Election Day.
The campaign has also drawn attention to Michigan’s Senate race. Republican Haley Stevens’s former Democratic primary rival, Abdul El-Sayed, is now the Democratic Senate nominee there. Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers after she said an invitation to a Democratic event was rescinded, according to ABC News US.
Chuck Schumer said the Democratic Party was "united in our support" for El-Sayed, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said the party would "stand firmly" behind him, according to PBS NewsHour headlines.
Outgoing Rep. Don Bacon said "tariffs are not popular here in the Midwest." He also predicted "there will be a debate in the party" if Republicans suffer significant losses, according to PBS NewsHour headlines.
Sen. Tim Scott, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said he was confident Republicans would keep the Senate, according to ABC News US.
Trump’s October campaign included more than two dozen rallies. Those events were sometimes overshadowed by meandering asides and graphic descriptions of male politicians’ physiques, according to AP.
Voters question the economic fallout of Trump’s tariffs and the war in Iran. This year he has focused on states he previously dominated rather than states Biden won in 2020. If Democrats lose the Michigan Senate seat, they would face added pressure to win in Republican-leaning states such as Texas, Kansas, Ohio or Iowa.
Al Jazeera’s excerpt describes "controversial claims" but does not specify them, and those claims are not verified here. The sources do not include a response from the Trump campaign or Republican officials to Bacon’s or Stevens’s comments, a response from El-Sayed’s campaign to Stevens’s endorsement, or any polling or forecasts for Tuesday’s races.
Election Day is Tuesday. Results in Michigan, Iowa, Kansas and nationwide will determine control of the Senate and House. If Republicans suffer significant losses, Bacon has predicted a debate within the party.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.