President Trump has launched a six-day campaign swing across conservative America to boost Republican turnout as midterm elections approach. With just two weeks remaining, the GOP is deeply worried about holding the House and Senate, and winning governor races nationwide. Traditionally Republican strongholds have become battlegrounds this cycle.
Polling shows Mr. Trump's policies on tariffs and the war in Iran have gravely threatened the party's fortunes due to their impact on gas, diesel and grocery prices. The president began in Kansas, with plans to pass through the Carolinas, Florida, Iowa and Georgia. He will stump in five House districts he won by more than 20 points in 2024, and mostly in states with competitive Senate races.
Notably, he is avoiding traditional battleground states like Maine and New Hampshire, where Republicans have distanced themselves. His strategy focuses on shoring up base support rather than persuading swing voters. "He goes where the battles are," said pollster John Mc Laughlin. "And this is where the battles are." In a favorable environment, Republicans would target Georgia and North Carolina Senate seats and defend Maine. Instead, the White House sees Texas, Ohio, Iowa and Michigan as battlegrounds.
Michigan holds a rare competitive seat held by a Democrat. This cycle, the party has largely given up on Georgia and North Carolina Senate races and accepting President Trump's inability to help Senator Susan Collins in Maine. The swing also allows the political operation to generate campaign imagery beyond the itinerary. Mr. Trump remains the party's most effective motivator, yet his job approval has dipped to about 37 percent.
The Republican National Committee said the itinerary aims to shore up vulnerable candidates, though the president is known to go where he finds adoring crowds. He started in a Wichita, Kansas district backing him by over 23 points over Kamala Harris, then Greenville, North Carolina (14 points under new map), Clemson, South Carolina (43 points), Sioux City, Iowa and Fort Myers, Florida, ending in Macon, Georgia. Next week, he will rally in L...
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