Trump Rallies in Wichita Today as Marshall Fights to Hold Kansas Senate Seat in Toss-Up Race
Trump rallies in Wichita tonight for Sen. Roger Marshall, whose once-safe Kansas seat is now rated a toss-up, opening a final-month swing through North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa and more.
President Donald Trump headlines a rally in Wichita on Monday evening to campaign for Sen. Roger Marshall, betting his personal draw can hold a Kansas Senate seat that Republicans once considered safe but that national polls now classify as a toss-up.
The rally takes place at the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center in downtown Wichita. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. CDT, the program begins at 4:30 p.m., and Trump is scheduled to speak at about 6 p.m. CDT, or 7 p.m. Eastern, according to the event listing. The Republican National Committee announced the trip after Trump posted that he would hold a “Kansas Style Rally, in Roger’s Honor.”
A Senate race Kansas Republicans once took for granted
Marshall faces Democrat Adam Hamilton, a Methodist minister from Leawood, along with Libertarian David Graham. Several national polls have put the contest in toss-up territory, according to Kansas Public Radio, which cited Cook Political Report ratings.
Marshall said on Oct. 8 that he wanted Trump’s help. “I would love for him to be here,” the senator said while visiting a Topeka fire station. “We can’t win this without his voters as well.”
Vice President JD Vance already campaigned for Marshall in Olathe on Sept. 14, appearing alongside the senator and GOP gubernatorial nominee Ty Masterson. Marshall also posted video on Oct. 11 from a visit to Atchison with Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Wichita carries local weight in the campaign. Trump demanded in a September social media post that Bombardier manufacture its products in the United States; the aerospace maker has its U.S. headquarters in Wichita, and city leaders asked the president to protect local jobs. Trump last held a Wichita rally at Century II in 2016 and campaigned in Topeka in the 2018 midterms.
A packed final-month map
The Wichita stop opens a busy run through the final weeks before the Nov. 3 election. Trump said in September Rose Garden remarks that he would campaign in 35 races in roughly 30 days, while teasing a series of “tele-town halls” in which he said he could appear in as many as 10 in a single night.
On Oct. 20 he rallies in Greenville, North Carolina, where Republican Michael Whatley is running to succeed retiring Sen. Thom Tillis and trails Democrat Roy Cooper in most polls, according to the Washington Examiner. The same state also features a House contest in the 1st Congressional District between Republican Laurie Buckhout and Rep. Don Davis, a Democrat.
Trump is also scheduled to appear in Clemson, South Carolina, backing Senate nominee Darline Graham, who is running to replace her late brother, Lindsey Graham. On Oct. 22 he heads to Sioux City, Iowa, where Republican Ashley Hinson and Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek are locked in a close contest to succeed retiring Sen. Joni Ernst. Later stops include Fort Myers, Florida; Macon, Georgia, where Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson holds a narrow lead over Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms; and St. Clair County, Michigan, nine days before Election Day in one of the country’s tightest Senate races.
Reporting based on coverage by the Washington Examiner and Kansas Public Radio.
