Trump Plans Last-Minute Rally Blitz Ahead Of Midterms—As Biden Remains Largely Absent

Topline

Former President Donald Trump announced plans Wednesday for a series of four rallies in the five days leading into Election Day, as he hopes to propel his favored candidates to victory in a midterm election Republicans are becoming increasingly optimistic will win them both chambers of Congress and a series of pivotal governorships.

Key Facts

Trump will appear in Sioux City, Iowa, for a rally on November 3, before heading to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on November 5, Miami on November 6 and Vandalia, Ohio, on November 7, ahead of Election Day on November 8.

The ex-president has already made multiple midterm campaign appearances in both Pennsylvania and Ohio—backing Senate hopefuls Mehmet Oz and J.D. Vance, respectively—but these will be his first rallies in Florida and Iowa this year.

His decision to visit Iowa raised some eyebrows, since polls suggest Republican candidates like Gov. Kim Reynolds and Sen. Chuck Grassley will cruise to victory, and Iowa is expected to hold the first Republican presidential primary contest in 2024.

Surprising Fact

President Joe Biden has met with Democratic candidates on the campaign trail but he’s largely avoided stumping for his party’s contenders in large campaign events, in stark contrast with the midterm approaches taken by his predecessors, Trump and former President Barack Obama. Obama is planning to appear at four rallies for Democrats in the coming week, speaking in Atlanta, Detroit, Milwaukee and Las Vegas. Both Obama and Biden will reportedly stump for Democratic candidates in Pennsylvania on November 5, but it’s unclear if the visit will involve large rallies.

Key Background

The seesawing momentum of the midterm campaign has swung back hard in favor of Republicans, with now less than two weeks to go until Election Day. Races that appeared relatively safe for Democrats before Labor Day, like the Pennsylvania Senate contest and even the New York governor’s race, are now in doubt, as hope for flipping Republican-held Senate seats in states like Florida and North Carolina has all but disappeared. A momentary boost in Biden’s approval ratings following his signing of the $360 billion Inflation Reduction Act in August is also gone, according to polls, and the president appears in danger of soon having approval marks below 40% again. Republican candidates across the country have followed a strategy of tying their Democratic opponents to Biden, who they blame for historically high rates of inflation and rising crime rates—issues the president has little direct control over. Democrats, meanwhile, have tied Republican candidates to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Further Reading

Biden’s Approval Rating Surges After Series Of Unexpected Wins (Forbes)

Obama Announces Rare Rallies For Midterm Campaigns (Forbes)

Trump Plans Penn. Rally For Struggling Oz And Rest Of His ‘Ticket’ (Forbes)

Biden–Absent From Midterm Battlegrounds–Barely Mentions Fetterman At Pennsylvania Event (Forbes)

Blue States In Play? Republicans Narrow Gap In Oregon And New York Governor Races (Forbes)