Trump reinstates Kansas and Iowa rallies ahead of midterms

President Donald Trump has put campaign rallies in Kansas and Iowa back on his schedule, reversing a decision to cancel the in-person events as Republicans face close races in both states ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections.

A source close to the administration told Al Jazeera on Friday that Trump would headline both rallies on Sunday. He had previously been due in Kansas on Saturday and Iowa on Sunday. The revised schedule makes room for 19 tele-rallies, which allow him to address voters virtually, according to The Guardian.

“Rallies are BACK ON!” the source told Al Jazeera. Republican officials have not ruled out adding another event before election day, the outlet reported.

The Republican National Committee announced Thursday that the Kansas and Iowa appearances were off and that Trump would instead take part in “a large number of tele-rallies”. The committee said it was in a “strong position” in both states and argued that virtual appearances would let the president reach more voters.

Trump also expressed confidence on Thursday. “We are going to have a strong Tuesday night,” he told reporters. Asked about Kansas, he said, “I don’t feel I have to go.” The Guardian reported that he said Republican Senator Roger Marshall was “doing very well”. Trump sharply rebuked a Reuters reporter who asked whether he was tired of traveling, calling the question “sick” and the reporter “disgusting”.

The change comes as Democrats seek to win control of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Kansas and Iowa have generally favored Republicans, but polling points to competitive contests. Kansas has not elected a Democrat to a full Senate term since 1932, according to Al Jazeera. A Friday Emerson College poll cited by the outlet put Marshall’s Democratic challenger, megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton, ahead 49% to 45%. The Guardian reported that Democrats also held small polling leads in Iowa’s Senate and gubernatorial races.

Before the rallies were reinstated, Marshall defended the cancellation. “They think that I’m doing so well in the polls that he’s probably got better places to spend his time,” he said Thursday, according to Al Jazeera. David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, called the cancellation a “strategic retreat” in a social media post, the outlet reported.

The cost of living is a prominent concern for voters. In a Guardian/Harris poll of about 2,000 adults, most respondents named it and government corruption as top election issues. Al Jazeera reported that fuel prices were higher than normal because of the US-Israel war on Iran.

The Guardian reported that Saturday’s tele-rallies would target 19 states, including Kansas and Iowa, as well as states with competitive Senate, House or governor’s races. Al Jazeera said Trump was expected to campaign Friday in Daytona Beach, Florida, for Republican Senate nominee Ashley Moody and gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds.