Trump Restores Kansas and Iowa Rallies for Final Midterm Sunday

President Donald Trump will campaign in person in Kansas and Iowa on Sunday, November 1, after a dizzying final-week reversal that first cancelled both rallies, replaced them with a telephone blitz, and then restored them to his schedule. The two stops, in Salina, Kansas, and Dubuque, Iowa, close his in-person midterm campaigning just two days before voters decide control of Congress on Tuesday, November 3.

Both states are home to Senate races that will help determine whether Republicans keep their narrow majority in the chamber. In Kansas, Republican Senator Roger Marshall faces Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton. In Iowa, Republican Representative Ashley Hinson is running for an open Senate seat against Democratic state Representative Josh Turek. Neither contest was supposed to be this close in states Trump has carried comfortably before, and that is precisely why the president’s weekend movements have drawn so much attention.

A cancellation, then a reversal within 24 hours

The confusion began on Thursday, October 29, when the Republican National Committee announced that Trump would no longer hold the planned weekend rallies in person. Instead, the party said, he would take part in a 72-hour sprint of telephone rallies, or tele-rallies, in nearly 20 states, a format his allies presented as a way to reach more voters in the final days.

The Kansas event had originally been scheduled for Saturday, October 31, at the Salina Regional Airport, while the Iowa event was set for Sunday, November 1, in Dubuque. Under the revised plan, both would be handled by phone, alongside virtual events in states including Texas, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Florida and South Carolina. The White House put the total at more than 20 tele-rallies before Election Day.

Less than a day later, the plan changed again. A person familiar with the president’s schedule told the Associated Press on Friday, October 30, that Trump would now visit Iowa and Kansas for back-to-back rallies on Sunday, with the in-person events rearranged to fit around the new tele-rallies rather than replaced by them. Reporting on the Sunday political-show lineup likewise listed both rallies as back on the calendar for November 1.

Trump himself had signalled little enthusiasm for the Kansas trip when the cancellation was announced, telling reporters he did not feel he had to go to Kansas. His campaign, by contrast, has spent October on an unusually heavy travel schedule, holding 25 rallies across 19 states since October 1, a pace that fell short of an internal goal of more than 30 but still left little room for rest in the final week.

Why Kansas and Iowa matter so much

Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, counting two independents who caucus with Democrats on the other side. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take control, because Vice President JD Vance would break a 50-50 tie in Republicans’ favour. All 435 House seats are also on the ballot, and Democrats need a net gain of just three seats to win the House.

Polling in the final days has put both Midwestern races well within reach for Democrats. A CNN/SSRS survey conducted October 20-26 put Hamilton four points ahead of Marshall in Kansas, 49 percent to 45 percent, while other surveys in Iowa have shown Hinson and Turek essentially tied, with each candidate leading in different polls by two or three points. Analysts at Decision Desk HQ have rated Texas, Maine, Alaska, Ohio, Iowa and Kansas all as toss-ups, every one of them currently held by Republicans.

The national picture points the same way. The RealClearPolling average of the generic congressional ballot put Democrats ahead 51.4 percent to 43.2 percent, an 8.2-point lead, and forecasters at the Cook Political Report have projected Democrats winning between 227 and 240 House seats. Polls are not results, and strategists on both sides caution that late shifts in turnout can still change close contests, but no one in either party is treating Kansas or Iowa as safe any longer.

The final Sunday before Election Day

Sunday’s political talk shows will carry the last extended national arguments of the campaign. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Senator Bernie Sanders and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro are scheduled for CBS’s “Face the Nation,” while the Iowa Senate candidates, Hinson and Turek, are due on CNN’s “Inside Politics Sunday.” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are scheduled for NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday.”

Democrats, meanwhile, have deployed their own leading figures to the battlegrounds. Former President Barack Obama has campaigned in Georgia for Senator Jon Ossoff, former Vice President Kamala Harris has mobilised voters in swing states, and Texas Democrat James Talarico, who leads Republican Ken Paxton in recent Texas polling, has rallied supporters in Dallas.

Early voting has already shattered midterm records. More than 50.5 million Americans had cast early ballots by Saturday morning, according to the University of Florida Election Lab, passing the entire early-voting total from the 2022 midterm cycle with three days still to go. Texas alone had recorded more than 5.8 million early ballots. Those figures measure participation, not outcome: early-vote totals do not reveal which candidates voters chose, and a record early vote can mean voters are simply casting ballots sooner rather than in greater numbers overall.

What to watch on Tuesday

The first results on Tuesday night will show whether the Republican effort to defend its Senate map held in the states Trump visited most, and whether the Democratic lead in national polling translated into seats. A handful of races may take longer to settle. Alaska allows mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted up to 15 days later, and Maine uses ranked-choice voting statewide, so if control of the Senate hinges on either state, the final tally could take days.

For now, the clearest signal of the race’s closing days is the president’s own itinerary. A campaign that began October with a plan for more than 30 rallies ends it with a cancelled weekend, a telephone sprint, and then two restored rallies on the final Sunday, in two states where the Senate majority may ultimately be decided.

Frequently asked questions

When are the 2026 midterm elections?

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are on the ballot.

Where is Trump campaigning on Sunday, November 1?

Trump is scheduled to hold rallies in Salina, Kansas, and Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday, November 1, after both events were first cancelled and then restored to his schedule.

Who are the Senate candidates in Kansas and Iowa?

In Kansas, Republican Senator Roger Marshall faces Democrat Adam Hamilton. In Iowa, Republican Representative Ashley Hinson faces Democratic state Representative Josh Turek for an open Senate seat.

What do Democrats need to win control of Congress?

Democrats need a net gain of three House seats and a net gain of four Senate seats to take control of both chambers.

How many Americans have voted early?

More than 50.5 million Americans had voted early by Saturday morning, according to the University of Florida Election Lab, surpassing the full early-voting total from 2022.

Sources: Associated Press reporting via KCAU, The National News Desk, and Political.org’s coverage of the final midterm weekend.

Further reading: AP: Trump will rally in Kansas and Iowa after initially canceling weekend trips | TNND: Trump cancels Kansas, Iowa rallies, shifts to 72-hour phone blitz | Political.org: Candidates make final pitches as midterms near

Related coverage: a record 47.9 million Americans have already voted early in the 2026 midterms, a federal judge barred the Justice Department from threatening election workers, and President Trump’s $20 billion Wall Street Journal lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice.