WASHINGTON, October 30 (Aalimi Nation) – With the US midterm elections five days away, President Donald Trump has cancelled planned in-person events in Kansas and Iowa and will instead address voters through "tele-rallies", the Republican National Committee (RNC) said on Thursday.
The RNC said the telephone rallies would reach voters in about 19 to 20 states, including Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan and Texas, and that further events could be added. A White House official said Mr Trump would take part in more than 20 such events before Election Day on November 3. His rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Friday is still scheduled.
What the RNC said
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters described the plan as a "72-hour sprint" and said voters across the country wanted to hear from the president before polling. He said the virtual format would allow Mr Trump to reach more voters than visits to individual states, and called it "a huge boost in the closing days." The committee also said the two states were in a strong position for Republicans.
Trump's response
After a rally in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on Thursday, Mr Trump was asked whether the change was linked to fatigue. Mr Trump, who is 80, said he felt fine and told reporters, "I don't feel I have to go to Kansas." A planned Saturday visit to Salina, Kansas, was dropped, and an Iowa event had been due on Sunday. Mr Trump's health has drawn public attention in his second term, but the White House has not announced any medical reason for the schedule change.
What is at stake
All 435 House seats and about a third of the 100 Senate seats are on the ballot. Republicans currently hold 53 Senate seats and 218 House seats. The result will shape the final two years of Mr Trump's second term, including how much of his legislative agenda can pass.
One forecasting model cited in coverage gave Democrats a 94 per cent chance of winning the House and 74 per cent in the Senate. Forecasts are not results, and polls can move in the final days. Analysts point to cost-of-living worries and foreign policy among the voter concerns, and to Mr Trump's weaker poll ratings.
The Kansas Senate race
Kansas has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1932. Republican incumbent Roger Marshall faces Democrat Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor. A poll released on Thursday showed Mr Hamilton at 49 per cent and Mr Marshall at 45 per cent. A single poll carries a margin of error and does not predict the outcome.
The RNC is expected to announce more tele-rallies in the coming days, while Mr Trump keeps his Daytona Beach appearance on Friday. Voters go to the polls on November 3, when control of both chambers of Congress will be decided, and results in closely contested Senate races such as Kansas, Michigan and Alaska may take time to confirm.
