Midterms 2026 · Report · File No. 261029-212
Trump cancels Kansas rally as new poll shows Sen. Roger Marshall trailing
The Saturday rally in Salina was called off as a new poll shows Republican Sen. Roger Marshall behind Democrat Adam Hamilton in a state Trump won by 16 points in 2024. With five days to the midterm election, Kansas has become a Senate race Democrats did not expect to contest.
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President Donald Trump has canceled a planned rally in Kansas on Saturday, as new polling shows Republican Sen. Roger Marshall trailing Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton in one of the country's most closely watched Senate races ahead of Election Day 1.
The cancellation was confirmed Thursday by Danedri Herbert, chair of the Kansas Republican Party 1. The event had been scheduled for 10:30 a.m. local time at a hangar at Salina Regional Airport, about 100 miles west of Topeka 1.
The Salina Airport Authority's executive director cited a scheduling issue, saying that because of the president's schedule on Saturday, "all Salina events are cancelled" 1.
Rob Fillion, executive director of the Kansas Republican Party, said the president decided he is going to host tele-town halls ahead of the Nov. 3 general election to reach more voters 2.
From Channel GOPHamilton: 63,000 Kansans lost their health insuranceAdam Hamilton · 150 plays · captioned, with the source named
Salina and Kansas are very important to our nation, but there are a lot of other races that are in play
Fillion said those who had tickets and were planning to attend Saturday's rally will be notified about the cancellation by email 2.
The White House confirmed the shift in strategy: "President Trump will continue connecting directly with Americans nationwide through more than 20 telerallies before election day. Telerallies give him the opportunity to highlight his accomplishments and expand his reach across the country" 2.
The decision comes as Marshall faces mounting pressure in his bid for a second Senate term, with polling showing Hamilton, a Methodist megachurch pastor, gaining ground in a state Trump carried by 16 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election 1.
Trump traveled to Kansas last week for a rally in Park City, and Vice President JD Vance made two trips to the state, appearing in Johnson County and Topeka 2.
Fillion said the presence of the nation's top elected officials shows Kansas is important: "It shows that Kansas is no longer a fly over state. We are important. We are the bedrock, the heartbeat of the country and we know that we can't lose that. It's appreciated and known at the national level" 2.
Fillion dismissed the new polling, saying he is tired of watching polls that he argued have been wrong consistently, and that what it comes down to is history and Republicans coming home on Election Day 2.
What happens next
The election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Trump's tele-town halls are scheduled to continue through Election Day, according to the White House 2. Kansans who had tickets to the Salina event will be notified by email 2.
That matters because a Senate seat in a state Trump won by 16 points in 2024 was not on most Democrats' target lists. A late poll showing the Republican incumbent behind, combined with a canceled presidential visit five days out, is a concrete sign of Republican trouble in a reliably red state 1.
The Record
Sources
- Newsweek, “Trump Cancels Kansas Rally as New Poll Shows Republican Trailing Democrat” (2026-10-29). newsweek.com/trump-cancels-kansas-rally-as-new-poll-shows-re
- kwch.com, “BREAKING: President Trump cancels rally in Salina” (2026-10-28). kwch.com/2026/10/28/president-hold-saturday-rally-salina-reg
Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.
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