Trump adds Iowa and Kansas stops as early vote jumps

President Donald Trump will hold in-person rallies in Iowa and Kansas on Sunday, reversing earlier plans that canceled both stops. The change comes as early voting numbers surge nationwide, with nearly 10 million more Americans casting ballots five days before Election Day than at the same point in 2022, according to an Associated Press analysis.

The voting increase is particularly sharp in states with competitive Senate races. In Iowa and Kansas, early voting is up roughly 30% compared to four years ago. Other states with contested Senate seats, including Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, and South Carolina, see similar spikes. In South Carolina, where voters will choose a successor to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, early voting is up 83%.

Texas shows the largest absolute increase in advance ballots. More than 6.3 million Texans had voted early as of Wednesday, compared with 4.2 million at the same point in 2022, a 50% increase. Both parties believe the surge in turnout will favor their candidates in the fight for control of Congress.

Trump’s schedule shifted after the Republican National Committee announced he would conduct a 72-hour sprint of phone rallies, or telerallies, to reach more voters nationwide. That plan replaced his original itinerary of an in-person stop in Salina, Kansas, on Saturday and Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday. The party later added new telerallies to the president’s schedule, prompting him to reinstate physical rallies in the two Midwest states.

Sunday’s Iowa rally will now take place in Cedar Rapids instead of Dubuque. A person familiar with the plans said the new location was chosen to accommodate the additional telerallies. Trump has already visited both states this month to support his Senate candidates. In Kansas, he is backing Republican Sen. Roger Marshall. In Iowa, he is supporting Rep. Ashley Hinson, the Republican candidate for the Senate seat.

On Thursday, Trump pushed back against reports that fatigue or health issues led to the initial cancellation of his Kansas stop. He told a reporter, “I’m not going to Kansas because he’s doing very well,” referring to Marshall. The president added that he felt perfect and did not feel he had to travel to the state.

In a Friday interview with a Kansas City radio station, Trump called Marshall fantastic and credited him for pushing administration policies that benefit Kansas farmers, such as expanding tax-free use of red-dyed diesel. Trump criticized Marshall’s Democratic challenger, Adam Hamilton, a Methodist pastor, as a radical who caused turmoil in the church. Hamilton previously said that if Jesus were standing before them now, Marshall would call him woke.

The midterm elections have attracted historic amounts of money. Republicans have expressed concern that voter dissatisfaction with Trump and high costs could suppress their turnout, issues Democrats have emphasized in their campaigns. The final weeks of the race will test whether the early voting surge translates into a decisive advantage for either party in the Senate.

Stevens reemerged in the final week before the general election in Michigan, appearing on CNN to reaffirm support for her former primary rival, Abdul El-Sayed. She called on him to repair relations with Jewish and Black voters. Stevens later released a statement criticizing El-Sayed for linking U.S. support for Israel to rising grocery prices in an advertisement.

El-Sayed has apologized for some past comments while attempting to unify Democrats. His opponent in the Michigan Senate race is Republican Mike Rogers. The race in Michigan is one of several battleground contests where early voting data suggests higher engagement than in previous midterms.