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'Pretend I'm on the ballot': Trump closes midterm push with back-to-back rallies in Iowa and Kansas
Two days before Tuesday's midterms, President Trump rallied Republicans in Dubuque, Iowa, and Salina, Kansas, pitching tougher immigration rules and voter ID while defending the Iran war's toll at the pump. He called the Kansas stop the final rally of his campaign.
President Donald Trump wrapped up his midterm campaign on Sunday with a two-state swing through the Midwest, urging Republican voters in Iowa and Kansas to show up on Tuesday and protect the party's control of Congress.
"If you elect a Republican House and Republican Senate on November 3rd, we will continue to put America first every single day," Trump told supporters packed into Hangar 509 at Salina Regional Airport, the night's last stop. He said it was his 30th rally of the cycle and that he was ending the tour there. "I'm closing it down tonight. This is it. I had to come here to make sure that Roger got elected," he said, referring to Republican Sen. Roger Marshall.
A weekend schedule that changed three times
The final weekend almost looked very different. Trump's in-person events in Salina, first planned for Saturday, and in Dubuque were called off on Thursday and replaced with what the Republican National Committee described as a "72-hour sprint" of telephone rallies. About a day later, both rallies were back on for Sunday. For a few hours, the Iowa stop was reported to be moving to Cedar Rapids before landing in Dubuque again.
At the Five Flags Center in Dubuque, his second Iowa appearance in under two weeks after an Oct. 22 rally in Sioux City, Trump spoke for nearly two hours. He defended the war with Iran despite rising gasoline prices, calling the cost "a very small price to pay for the security of this country and for the world," and touted his immigration crackdown, the One Big Beautiful Bill and a promised $15 billion steel mill for the state. Protesters interrupted him three times and were escorted out.
He also warned his base against sitting out a race without his name on it. "When I'm not on the ballot, much fewer people come out to vote. It's just the way it is, midterms. Pretend I'm on the ballot because, essentially, I am on the ballot," he said.
Two toss-up Senate races in red states
Both stops targeted Senate seats Republicans can't afford to lose. In Iowa, a state Trump carried by 13 points in 2024, Rep. Ashley Hinson is in a tight race with Democratic state legislator Josh Turek. Trump praised her but drew attention with comments about her weight, saying she had slimmed down "the old-fashioned way." Hinson, who has split with the president on Russia and called last month for an end to the Iran war, told the crowd that "common sense versus crazy is on the ballot." House Speaker Mike Johnson, who also spoke, told supporters to ignore unfavorable polls.
In Kansas, Marshall faces Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton, who is trying to become the first Democrat to represent the state in the Senate since the 1930s. It has become the most expensive race in Kansas history for ad spending; Marshall said the seat will end up costing "over $110 million." The Cook Political Report rates both contests as toss-ups.
Death penalty, voter ID and a Rubio cameo
Trump laid out what a Republican Congress would deliver over the next two years: tighter immigration limits, voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements, a ban on sanctuary cities, and the death penalty for large-scale drug dealers, human traffickers and anyone convicted of killing a police officer. He also campaigned for Ty Masterson, the Republican candidate for Kansas governor.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a brief appearance on stage in Salina. "Because he's our president, America's stronger. You're safer, and our enemies are weaker all around the world," he said.
Tuesday's election will decide all 435 seats in the House and 35 in the Senate. "The golden age of America is upon us, but you must go out and vote," Trump told the Kansas crowd.
Photos: Anadolu; Iowa Public Radio; KWCH
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