Republicans are defending territory they never expected to be at risk four weeks before Election Day, as President Donald Trump implores voters not to desert his party with the promise of more cash giveaways.
A top White House adviser, meanwhile, argued Sunday on CNN that “partisan pollsters” are wrong that voters are hurting financially — a message that suggests a disconnect between the country and a president who boasts of an economic “golden age.”
And polling released over the weekend pointed to growing peril for the GOP, with Democrats leading or in tight races in states Trump won easily two years ago, amid signs that Latino voters, who helped power him back to the White House, are drifting away.
The Iran war remains an anvil for Republicans heading into the final stretch of the midterms, with few signs that high gasoline and diesel prices will return to cheaper levels soon — at least in time for voters to feel the difference by November 2.
Still, polls four weeks away do not forecast directly how the election will turn out, and there is palpable nervousness among Democrats with painful memories of their past defeats by a president who is now throwing everything at the final weeks.
The intensifying political combat underscores the critical stakes of the election, as Democrats aim for House and Senate majorities they’d likely use to probe deep into Trump’s White House and his family’s finances during the final years of his term.
Democrats need only a few pickups to win back control of the House, where they currently have 214 seats, compared with 219 Republicans (including one independent who caucuses with the majority). They need a net gain of four seats to win the Senate in a duel that carries the tantalizing possibility of a Supreme Court nominating fight after conservative Justice Samuel Alito told CBS News that he now considers retirement every term.
Trump, seeking to defy approval ratings in the 30s, campaigned in deep-red Alabama on Friday; on Saturday he spoke at a rally in Ohio, which he won by 11 points in 2024 but where a critical Senate race this year is too close to call. His travel schedule is another sign his party is on the defensive a month out.
He pleaded with Republican voters in the Deep South to “pretend I’m on the ballot” and waxed about the unprecedented “golden age” he says he’s conjured. In an apparent attempt to sweeten his message, the White House announced a $90 payment to around 20 million seniors who are on Medicare Part B. Last month, Trump promised every American adult $5,000 if Republicans win the midterms. In Ohio on Saturday night, the president crudely promised his voters victory against the Democrats, if only they’d turn out in huge numbers to vote. “We’re going to win big, and we’re going to shove it up their ass,” he said.
by Stephen Collinson/CNN – Trump fights on home turf as Democratic midterm hopes rise
