Trump Plays Defense in Iowa and Kansas as Midterms Near and Michigan Democrats Split

President Donald Trump spent the final Sunday of the midterm campaign in Iowa and Kansas, two states he has comfortably won before, as Republicans try to hold their majorities in the Senate and House, the Associated Press reported through ABC News. That he is defending ground in such places shows how tight the contest has become, with Election Day on Tuesday.

Democrats had their own trouble the same day. In Michigan, a key Senate race, a congresswoman who lost the Democratic primary endorsed the Republican candidate, forcing party leaders to publicly back their nominee.

A campaign played on friendly ground

Trump spoke for two hours in Dubuque, Iowa, then headed to Salina, Kansas. Republicans in both states face strong Democratic challenges, according to the AP, which threatens GOP control of the Senate at a time when their House majority is already at risk. In Iowa, Trump said Republicans were on the verge of sweeping victories on Tuesday.

The AP noted that more than 54 million votes have already been cast. It described the travel as a defensive posture, with the elections turning into a referendum on Trump’s second term in the White House.

The picture differs sharply from 2024, when Trump worked to flip states that had backed Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. This year he has concentrated mostly on states he has dominated, while voters, including some former supporters, question the economic effects of his tariffs and of the war in Iran, the AP reported.

Trump paused his rallies on Saturday and attended a jungle-themed Halloween party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. There, according to the AP, he dismissed concerns about the country’s direction, saying it had “never done better.” More than two dozen rallies in October were at times overshadowed by his meandering asides.

Michigan Democrats scramble

In Michigan, Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed faced an unexpected break in his party. Rep. Haley Stevens, his opponent in the primary, appeared with Republican Mike Rogers at a church service and later endorsed him. Stevens, who has criticized El-Sayed as insufficiently supportive of Israel, said in a video that she backed Rogers after an invitation to a Democratic event was withdrawn and she was told to stay away from the campaign.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the party was united behind El-Sayed. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who leads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said Democrats would stand firmly with him and reject efforts to divide the party. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a leading El-Sayed supporter, played down the rift on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” saying Stevens lost a very close primary and could be upset about it, but that people across the state would back El-Sayed.

The AP said Michigan matters a great deal to Democrats’ hopes of retaking the Senate. If they lose the seat, they would need to win races in deeper Republican territory such as Texas, Kansas, Ohio or Iowa.

Republicans differ on tariffs and Trump’s role

Outgoing Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., told CNN’s “State of the Union” that he had warned the president that tariffs are unpopular in the Midwest. He said a debate over the party’s future is likely if Republicans suffer significant losses this week.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, struck a more confident tone on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He said he expected Republicans to keep the Senate, and he accepted that the election is about Trump, whose agenda he said is on the ballot.

Voters at the Iowa rally reflected that split. Jon Lutz, 60, a civil engineer from Dubuque attending his first Trump rally, said the president has done what he promised and he wants Republicans to keep both chambers. Wendy Kuenzler, 44, of Burlington, said she does not blame Trump for rising gas and grocery prices and believes he is on a path to fix them. She plans to vote for Senate nominee Ashley Hinson.

What this means for voters

The results will decide which party controls the Senate and House for the rest of Trump’s second term, and with them, whether his agenda moves forward or meets resistance. Rising prices and the effects of tariffs and the Iran war are among the issues voters cited, according to the AP. Control of Congress will shape how those issues are handled.

Democrats in Iowa were also campaigning hard on Sunday. Rob Sand, the party’s nominee for governor, held several events across the state.

What happens next

Voters go to the polls on Tuesday. Republicans and Democrats alike will be watching Iowa, Kansas and Michigan as signs of whether Trump’s strategy of rallying loyal supporters can overcome the headwinds his party faces.

Around Prague, based on reporting by ABC News