President Donald Trump held his last two midterm rallies in Iowa and Kansas on Sunday, two days before voters decide control of Congress.
What happened
Trump spoke in Dubuque, Iowa, and then in Salina, Kansas. Republicans in both states face strong Democratic challenges for U.S. Senate seats. The Kansas stop ended his campaign tour.
“This is our last stop. We’re closing it down tonight,” Trump told the Kansas crowd, according to the Associated Press.
He plans a final speech on Monday at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C.
Key facts
- NBC News counted 28 stops in Trump’s midterm push.
- The AP says he held rallies in 19 states since Oct. 1.
- The Iowa speech lasted about two hours. The Kansas speech ran nearly 90 minutes.
- More than 54 million votes were already cast before Election Day, the AP reported.
- Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
What each side says
Trump predicted big wins. “We’re going to elect ‘America first’ Republicans up and down the line,” he said in Iowa.
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina leads the Republican Senate campaign group. He said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he is confident Republicans will keep the Senate. He also said Trump’s agenda “is on the ballot.”
Some Republicans sounded worried. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who is leaving Congress, told CNN that “tariffs are not popular here in the Midwest.” A tariff is a tax on imported goods.
Democrats feel hopeful about the national mood. But they faced a split in Michigan on Sunday. Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic Senate primary, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the party was “united in our support” for Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed.
Why it matters
A midterm election happens halfway through a president’s term. Voters choose members of Congress, not the president. Many observers treat it as a test of the president’s popularity.
The AP notes that Trump spent much of his tour in states he won easily before. In 2024, he campaigned to flip states that had backed Joe Biden.
Polls give Democrats an edge. A new NBC News poll found registered voters prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress, 52% to 45%. CBS News polling shows Democrats ahead in the House race. It says Senate control may come down to close contests in states such as Maine, Ohio and Texas.
What comes next
- Monday: Trump gives his closing speech in Washington.
- Tuesday: Polls open nationwide. The first polls close at 6 p.m. Eastern time.
