WASHINGTON — With only weeks remaining before the midterm elections, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance campaigned across crucial battleground states over the weekend as Republicans fight to maintain their control of both the House and the Senate.
Vance visited Michigan, a central state in the battle for the Senate majority, taking questions from voters Saturday during a televised town hall in Flat Rock, Fox News reported. The race for Michigan\’s open Senate seat pits Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed against Republican candidate Mike Rogers, a former member of the House of Representatives.
During the event, Vance faced questions regarding persistently high fuel costs. Vance attributed the prices to disruptions caused by Iranian attacks on maritime shipping as well as policies under former President Joe Biden, claiming that nearly twenty percent of domestic refining capacity shut down during the previous administration. Moderator Tony Dokoupil noted that the current administration has been in office for nearly two years. Vance also defended the administration against voter corruption concerns following the recent resignation of Kimberly Guilfoyle as U.S. ambassador to Greece amid access-peddling allegations, which Guilfoyle has denied.
Trump rallies supporters across red and swing states
Trump has meanwhile traveled to multiple states, holding rallies in Montana, Tennessee, Alaska, Ohio and Arizona, according to reports by The Guardian and PBS. During his appearances, the president stirred controversy with aggressive rhetoric regarding immigration, foreign policy and national security leaks.
At an Ohio rally, Trump attacked Somali immigrants, alleging they increase community expenses and burdens on public infrastructure, PBS reported. However, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office previously estimated that the recent rise in immigration would increase federal revenue by $1.2 trillion over a decade, while research from KFF indicates immigrants do not use public assistance programs at higher rates than native-born citizens.
While speaking in Arizona, Trump called for capital punishment for individuals responsible for unauthorized government disclosures, saying leakers \”should be shot\” after recent leaks concerning American military actions against Iran, PBS reported. Most leaks of classified material are prosecuted under the Espionage Act of 1917, which typically carries sentences of five to ten years in prison, with capital punishment reserved almost exclusively for cases resulting in death or rare treason convictions.
Polls suggest tight Senate battle
The Republican campaign surge comes as polling indicates a deeply competitive landscape for control of Capitol Hill. Polling aggregates analyzed by CNN show Democratic candidates leading Senate contests in several key states, including Michigan, Ohio, Iowa and Texas, and tied in Kansas.
However, CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten warned that most leads remain well within the historical average polling error rate of 3.7 percentage points over the final weeks of campaigning. Because the margins are so slender, Enten noted that the Senate map remains too close to call and that Republicans could easily retain their majorities on Election Day.
Voting procedures and election oversight have also emerged as major friction points in the closing weeks of the campaign. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against California\’s secretary of state and Los Angeles County election officials after local authorities refused to use a government-provided thumb drive to evaluate a federal list of 20,000 alleged noncitizens on voter rolls, citing cybersecurity protocols, PBS reported.
Campaign events are scheduled to intensify nationwide over the final two weeks as both parties seek to mobilize voters in states where narrow margins will determine the balance of power in Washington.
