Trump rallies in Iowa and Kansas as GOP fights to hold Senate seat and governor's office

President Donald Trump is spending the last weekend before Tuesday's midterm election rallying in two states he has won handily in the past, while Democrats worked to contain a split in Michigan that could complicate their bid to retake the Senate ¹.

Trump's first stop is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Dubuque, Iowa, where Republicans are battling to hold a critical Senate seat along with the governor's office. The 2nd Congressional District, which includes Dubuque, has also become competitive as the GOP works to protect its majority in the House ¹. He plans to close out the weekend with a visit to Salina, Kansas, where Adam Hamilton is mounting a bid to become the first Kansas Democrat to win a Senate seat in 94 years ¹.

On tapeCBS Evening News · Nov 1

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With more than 52 million votes already cast, the trips reflect the GOP's defensive posture as the elections become a referendum on Trump's second term, the Associated Press reported ¹. Voters, including previous supporters, are questioning the economic fallout of his decision to impose tariffs and launch the war in Iran, the AP reported ¹.

A Michigan split for Democrats

In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed's onetime primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, appeared with Republican Mike Rogers at a church service and later endorsed his campaign. Stevens, who has criticized El-Sayed as insufficiently supportive of Israel, said she backed Rogers after an invitation to a Democratic event was rescinded ¹.

From Channel GOPEl-Sayed lays out his case against Mike RogersAbdul El-Sayed · 124 plays · captioned, with the source named

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the party was "united in our support" for El-Sayed. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who leads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said Democrats would "stand firmly" behind El-Sayed and "reject any efforts to divide Democrats" ¹.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, a top supporter of El-Sayed, dismissed concerns about a Democratic divide on CBS' "Face the Nation." "Haley Stevens lost a very, very close primary. I can understand being upset about that," the Vermont independent said. "But from what I can see, all over the state, people are standing up, they're gonna stand with Abdul" ¹.

Michigan plays a key role in the Democratic effort to retake the Senate. If Democrats don't keep that seat on Tuesday, they would face additional pressure to win races in deeper Republican territory such as Texas, Kansas, Ohio or Iowa, the AP reported ¹.

Republicans on the record

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said he was confident Republicans would keep the Senate and embraced Trump's role in the campaign, telling NBC's "Meet the Press" that the president has said himself the midterm election is about him and that his agenda is on the ballot ¹.

Outgoing Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., raised concerns that the president's policies, particularly tariffs, could weigh down the GOP. "Tariffs are not popular here in the Midwest," he told CNN's "State of the Union." "I tried telling the president that" ¹. Bacon predicted "there will be a debate in the party" about its future if there are significant losses this week ¹.

Trump praised Stevens for her endorsement, saying she "was very brave in doing it," according to NBC News. "I'd love her to join the Republican Party," he added. "Actually, I think that could happen maybe" ².

That matters because the final weekend is testing whether Trump's pull with his base can hold seats in states he has won, while Democrats try to keep their own coalition together in a Senate race central to their chances ¹.

The Record

1. Nov 1, 2026Trump rallies in Dubuque, Iowa, and Salina, Kansas, on the final weekend before the midterms ¹.
2. Nov 1, 2026Rep. Haley Stevens endorses Republican Mike Rogers for Senate in Michigan ¹.
3. Nov 1, 2026More than 52 million votes have already been cast ahead of Tuesday's election ¹.

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<h2>Trump rallies in Iowa and Kansas as GOP fights to hold Senate seat and governor&#39;s office</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Campaign Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-rallies-in-iowa-and-kansas-as-gop-fights-to-hold-senate-seat-and-governor">The GOP Files</a> on Sunday, November 1, 2026.</em></p> <p>President Donald Trump is spending the last weekend before Tuesday&#39;s midterm election rallying in two states he has won handily in the past, while Democrats worked to contain a split in Michigan that could complicate their bid to retake the Senate .</p> <p>Trump&#39;s first stop is scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Dubuque, Iowa, where Republicans are battling to hold a critical Senate seat along with the governor&#39;s office. The 2nd Congressional District, which includes Dubuque, has also become competitive as the GOP works to protect its majority in the House . He plans to close out the weekend with a visit to Salina, Kansas, where Adam Hamilton is mounting a bid to become the first Kansas Democrat to win a Senate seat in 94 years .</p> <p>With more than 52 million votes already cast, the trips reflect the GOP&#39;s defensive posture as the elections become a referendum on Trump&#39;s second term, the Associated Press reported . Voters, including previous supporters, are questioning the economic fallout of his decision to impose tariffs and launch the war in Iran, the AP reported .</p> <h2>A Michigan split for Democrats</h2> <p>In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed&#39;s onetime primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, appeared with Republican Mike Rogers at a church service and later endorsed his campaign. Stevens, who has criticized El-Sayed as insufficiently supportive of Israel, said she backed Rogers after an invitation to a Democratic event was rescinded .</p> <p>Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the party was &quot;united in our support&quot; for El-Sayed. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who leads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said Democrats would &quot;stand firmly&quot; behind El-Sayed and &quot;reject any efforts to divide Democrats&quot; .</p> <p>Sen. Bernie Sanders, a top supporter of El-Sayed, dismissed concerns about a Democratic divide on CBS&#39; &quot;Face the Nation.&quot; &quot;Haley Stevens lost a very, very close primary. I can understand being upset about that,&quot; the Vermont independent said. &quot;But from what I can see, all over the state, people are standing up, they&#39;re gonna stand with Abdul&quot; .</p> <p>Michigan plays a key role in the Democratic effort to retake the Senate. If Democrats don&#39;t keep that seat on Tuesday, they would face additional pressure to win races in deeper Republican territory such as Texas, Kansas, Ohio or Iowa, the AP reported .</p> <h2>Republicans on the record</h2> <p>Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said he was confident Republicans would keep the Senate and embraced Trump&#39;s role in the campaign, telling NBC&#39;s &quot;Meet the Press&quot; that the president has said himself the midterm election is about him and that his agenda is on the ballot .</p> <p>Outgoing Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., raised concerns that the president&#39;s policies, particularly tariffs, could weigh down the GOP. &quot;Tariffs are not popular here in the Midwest,&quot; he told CNN&#39;s &quot;State of the Union.&quot; &quot;I tried telling the president that&quot; . Bacon predicted &quot;there will be a debate in the party&quot; about its future if there are significant losses this week .</p> <p>Trump praised Stevens for her endorsement, saying she &quot;was very brave in doing it,&quot; according to NBC News. &quot;I&#39;d love her to join the Republican Party,&quot; he added. &quot;Actually, I think that could happen maybe&quot; .</p> <p>That matters because the final weekend is testing whether Trump&#39;s pull with his base can hold seats in states he has won, while Democrats try to keep their own coalition together in a Senate race central to their chances .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-rallies-in-iowa-and-kansas-as-gop-fights-to-hold-senate-seat-and-governor">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/trump-rallies-in-iowa-and-kansas-as-gop-fights-to-hold-senate-seat-and-governor.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. PBS NewsHour, “WATCH LIVE: Trump rallies in Iowa as part of final push before Election Day” (2026-11-01). pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-trump-rallies-in-iowa-a
2. NBC News, “Election 2026 live updates: Haley Stevens endorses Mike Rogers in Michigan Senate race; Trump rallies in Kansas and Iowa” (2026-11-01). nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/live-blog/trump-rally-kans

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