Trump's Rally Push Guards Republican Grip on Congress

Donald Trump campaigned in Iowa and Kansas on Sunday as Republicans fought to keep control of Congress. Losing either chamber would let Democrats block his agenda and investigate his administration. More than 52 million people had already voted in person or by mail, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab. The record early vote came as households faced rising living costs and candidates argued over who should control the machinery of government.

A Cleveland woman brought her whole family to vote early after complaining to Mayor Justin Bibb about grocery and prescription prices. Bibb said she believed voting was the only thing she could do. He said he was organizing with other mayors to decide how to press Washington if Democrats won. He warned, “We can't miss this moment with just hearings and impeachment proceedings. People need to see their pocketbooks improve.” His comment captures the narrow promise offered by the electoral process: a chance to pressure those in office while people keep absorbing the costs.

The Fight to Control Congress

Thirty-five Senate seats and all 435 House seats were on the ballot. Republicans held a 53-47 Senate majority and a narrow edge in the House. Democrats were tied with or leading Republicans in many polls, and CNN's Poll of Polls showed them with a 9-point advantage in the generic congressional ballot. The latest CBS News House model projected Democrats would win 229 seats and a majority. But pollsters and party officials warned that close races could produce surprises.

Trump's Iowa and Kansas stops came after Republicans abruptly canceled the events late Thursday, then rescheduled them. A source close to the Trump administration told Al Jazeera that Trump would headline both in person. “Rallies are BACK ON!” the source said. “No one works harder, fights harder, or loves the American people more than President Donald J. Trump!” Trump said he would respect the results if the elections were “honest.”

The campaign centered on states Trump had previously won, even as some supporters questioned the effects of tariffs and the war in Iran. Iowa Republicans defended a Senate seat and the governor's office. The state's 2nd Congressional District, which includes Dubuque, had become competitive between Joe Mitchell and Lindsay James. In Kansas, Roger Marshall faced Adam Hamilton. A campaign for office doesn't change the basic fact: the contest is over who gets to steer institutions that already hold power.

Jon Lutz, a Dubuque resident attending his first Trump rally, said he backed the president's record and wanted Republicans to keep both chambers. “He's done what he's said he's going to do,” Lutz said. “I want him to keep going.” Outgoing Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., offered a different warning about the party's direction. “Tariffs are not popular here in the Midwest,” he told CNN's “State of the Union.” Sen. Tim Scott, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Trump's agenda was on the ballot.

Prices, Promises and Party Machinery

Voters told campaign operatives they saw politics as a game for insiders and the rich and powerful, even as costs rose and their lives worsened. In New York, Republicans tried to direct anger toward Albany Democrats. Gubernatorial nominee Bruce Blakeman's ad warned of a tax increase if Kathy Hochul won reelection. Blakeman also criticized energy costs, pledged to reverse the state's ban on natural-gas drilling along the Pennsylvania border, and promised to repeal criminal-justice law changes.

High prices, including gasoline and groceries, fueled voter anger nationally. Wesleyan University professor Erika Franklin Fowler said political advertising spending would exceed $11 billion, a record. But she said ads generally change little and can't change what goods cost. She also warned that artificial-intelligence-generated scenes could make candidates appear to say or do things they never did. “There's no federal regulation of AI in advertising,” Fowler said, adding that most such ads carry no disclaimer. More early voting, she said, meant some advertising close to Election Day might arrive too late to matter.

Democratic leaders publicly insisted on unity even as Michigan's Senate race exposed a party split. Haley Stevens, who lost the primary to Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers after criticizing El-Sayed's support for Israel and saying an invitation to a Democratic event had been rescinded. “Our Democratic nominee for Senate said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away,” Stevens said. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats were “united in our support,” while Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said they would “stand firmly” behind El-Sayed. Sen. Bernie Sanders dismissed concerns about a broader split.

The Limits of the Ballot

Democratic leaders saw possible gains, but their own comments pointed to the limits of a victory measured only in seats. Sen. Chris Van Hollen recalled that Democrats defended Senate seats in 2018 but still failed to win a majority. He urged supporters not to trust polls or take control for granted. Elaine Luria, seeking to win back Virginia's 2nd Congressional District, said voters wanted change after living through “the second time around living through this hell of the Trump administration.” Hakeem Jeffries criticized Republicans for talking about “ballrooms and backsides.” Then he traveled to Alabama to campaign for Rep. Shomari Figures, whose seat Republicans targeted after a Supreme Court decision weakened the Voting Rights Act.

The stakes reach beyond party messaging. New Yorker politics columnist Susan Glasser said a Democratic victory in both chambers could bring oversight hearings, investigations and subpoenas, along with efforts to restrain Defense Department spending, including on Trump's war with Iran. She said Trump had said he wouldn't accept results he personally believed weren't conducted as he wanted. The Trump administration also ordered a criminal investigation into Alaska's Senate race. Meanwhile, CBS News pollster Anthony Salvanto said two-thirds of respondents planned to vote for Congress either to support Trump or, more commonly, oppose his policies. The candidates and slogans change; who gets to wield institutional power remains on the ballot.