President Trump will rally in Dubuque, Iowa, and Salina, Kansas, on Sunday, two days before the midterms, after initially canceling the trip. Republicans need to hold both Senate seats to keep control of the chamber, and the latest polling shows why the final weekend matters: a Marist survey has GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson trailing Democrat Josh Turek by three points in Iowa, while Democrat Adam Hamilton has taken a narrow lead over incumbent Republican Roger Marshall in Kansas.
House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed back on the numbers, saying the polls are inaccurate and underrepresent Republicans. Trump’s approval rating sits around 34% in the latest Quinnipiac poll, leaving open the question of whether a final-stretch visit lifts the ticket or weighs it down in states the GOP has historically won with room to spare.
Here on the Suncoast, we have our own Senate race on Tuesday’s ballot, so the outcome in Iowa and Kansas is more than a national curiosity. It’s a signal about turnout, enthusiasm, and which way the current is running in the final hours. What’s your read on the final weekend: do rallies still move voters, or is everyone locked in by now?
