WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has restored the campaign rallies in Kansas and Iowa that his team canceled a day earlier, a White House official said Friday, putting back-to-back rallies in both states on his schedule for Sunday, two days before the midterm elections.
“Rallies are BACK ON! President Trump loves his supporters, and in addition to nearly 20 tele-rallies, he will hold back-to-back rallies in Kansas and Iowa on Sunday,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, according to Reuters. The official said the rallies were rearranged to accommodate the tele-rallies recently added to Trump’s schedule.
A person familiar with the plans confirmed the Sunday rallies to the Associated Press.
Trump had originally planned to campaign in Salina, Kansas, on Saturday for Sen. Roger Marshall and in Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday for Senate candidate Ashley Hinson. On Thursday, the Republican National Committee announced the in-person rallies would not take place as scheduled and that Trump would instead hold a series of tele-rallies, saying they could reach more voters in the limited time left before polls close.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Trump said he did not feel he had to go to Kansas and said Marshall was doing very well.
Both states feature Senate races that will help determine whether Republicans keep their Senate majority, which stands at 53-47. In Kansas, recent polling has shown Democrat Adam Hamilton leading Marshall: a Washington Post poll released Friday put Hamilton ahead 52 percent to 43 percent among likely voters, a CNN poll found Hamilton up 4 points, and an Emerson College poll found Hamilton at 49 percent to Marshall’s 45 percent. In Iowa, the RealClearPolitics polling average shows Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek in a dead heat.
Trump campaigns in Florida on Friday and is expected to hold tele-rallies on Saturday before the Sunday rallies, according to the reports. A new Kansas venue and time had not been announced Friday.
J News Network staff reporting from Reuters and Associated Press reports.
