President Donald Trump abruptly canceled his weekend midterm rallies in Kansas and Iowa on Thursday, moving to a 72-hour sprint of virtual tele-rallies across nearly 20 states as Republicans face tightening congressional races and growing voter anxiety over the economy just days before the November 3 election.
Trump Scraps Midwest Stops For Virtual Tele-Rallies
The Republican National Committee confirmed the cancellations Thursday evening. The president would scrap his physical visits to Salina, Kansas, and Dubuque, Iowa.
The White House is pulling down Saturday's rally in Kansas, and actively working to schedule as many as 20 tele-rallies for the President before Tuesday. A White House official calls this a "shotgun approach" to spreading the President's support to as many races as possible.
Instead of enduring a hectic travel schedule, Trump will execute a 72-hour sprint of rallies by phone rather than in person. Republican officials argue that the virtual format allows the president to reach a much wider pool of voters across roughly 20 states than on-the-ground stops ever could.
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters maintained that the virtual push will provide a huge boost in the closing days of a cycle where control of Congress hangs in the balance.
While Trump’s rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, remains on the calendar for Friday, his weekend appearances in the Midwest were abruptly wiped from the public schedule. Party insiders note that the demand for his presence in multiple tight races made virtual appearances a more efficient use of his time.
The Republican National Committee said Trump would lead more than 20 tele-rallies before Election Day. White House officials described the scheduling change as a shotgun approach to hitting as many competitive races as possible in the homestretch.
President Trump canceled planned weekend in-person campaign rallies in Kansas (Saturday, Salina) and Iowa (Sunday, Dubuque). The Republican National Committee said he is instead doing a series of “tele-rallies” (virtual/phone events) across nearly 20 states in a final “72-hour…
Kansas GOP Chair Danedri Herbert stated that she heard about the president’s plans to scrap the event through the Republican National Committee. Speaking to Wichita’s CBS affiliate KWCH, Kansas Republican Party executive director Rob Fillion remarked that while Salina and Kansas hold great significance for our nation, numerous other competitive contests are currently underway.
Fillion noted that utilizing Trump’s time for simultaneous addresses across multiple areas likely offers higher efficiency. According to Pieter Miller, executive director of the Salina Airport Authority, all scheduled events in Salina have been called off as a result of the president’s calendar adjustments.
A staff member stationed at the Salina, Kansas airport hangar verified the cancellation on Thursday, just 48 hours after the Republican National Committee originally designated the venue.
Tightening Polls and Economic Pressures in Kansas
A CNN/SSRS poll released Thursday revealed that Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton holds 49 percent support among likely Kansas voters, outpaced by Republican Roger Marshall at 45 percent in the Senate contest.
Marshall’s favorability rating among likely voters is only 36 percent to Hamilton’s 41 percent. The last time voters in the state elected a Democratic US senator was in 1939.
Addressing reporters on Thursday, Marshall expressed his view. The administration scrubbed the Kansas event because they feel he is performing exceptionally well in survey numbers, leading Trump to seek more productive venues for his schedule.
President Donald Trump has canceled a pair of previously scheduled weekend rallies in Kansas and Iowa as the midterm elections are just days away. Trump will instead host a series of tele-rallies in support of candidates in competitive races across the U.S. pic.twitter.com/RpxnEyh3cs
Economic headwinds have also crowded into the contest, with growing voter frustration over the economy, high gas prices, and the war in Iran making the contest more competitive. Voters will likely focus heavily on how Marshall and Hamilton tackle fuel expenses, federal guidelines, and the tangible impacts on agricultural workers, commercial drivers, and other enterprises during the final days leading up to Election Day.
A Clash Over Travel and Health Questions
Returning to Washington after a campaign trip to South Carolina on Thursday, Trump bristled when reporters asked if he had scrapped the Kansas visit because he was tired of traveling or facing health concerns.
Visibly sweating and lashing out at the questioning, the president rejected any suggestion that he was slowing down. The president reacted angrily when a journalist questioned whether fatigue from travel prompted the cancellation of Saturday’s Kansas event.
The Stakes for Control of Congress on November 3
As the November 3 midterms approach, the GOP is battling to maintain its majority in Congress, with both major political parties strategically allocating time and financial resources while control of the legislative branch hangs in the balance.
To recap:President Trump has canceled in-person campaign rallies in Kansas on Saturday and Iowa on Sunday.Tomorrow, Trump will still hold a rally in Daytona, Florida.The RNC says he “will hold tele-rallies in nearly 20 states, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado,… https://t.co/zT2CeK7lQb
With party control hanging in the balance, both Democrats and Republicans are funneling time and resources into competitive battlegrounds across the country, including close contests in Texas, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, and Alaska, while both parties are closely watching the Mississippi Senate race.
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