President Donald Trump is returning to Kansas on Sunday in an effort to shore up support for Republican Senator Roger Marshall as the once reliably Republican Senate race became classified as a "Toss Up" by Fox News. Trump is due to campaign with Marshall in Salina, just two days before Election Day, as the incumbent runs against Democrat Adam Hamilton, a United Methodist pastor, in one of the country's most watched races. The president is scheduled to speak at 6 p.m. local time at Salina Regional Airport after doors open at 2:30 p.m.
The visit takes on greater significance after Fox News shifted Kansas from "Lean Republican" to "Toss Up," saying Republicans were devoting too many resources to the state for the outlet to continue concluding that Marshall had the advantage. "Kansas is a conservative stronghold, but Republicans are spending too much time and money relative to other states to conclude that Sen. Roger Marshall has an edge over Democrat Adam Hamilton," Fox News said in its Sunday Power Rankings update.
The Cook Political Report classified Kansas' Senate race as a "Toss Up" on October 6 after previously listing it as "Lean Republican." Trump has also stepped up his support for Marshall in the closing days of the campaign. In a lengthy Truth Social post, the president on Sunday described the senator as “one of the Best Senators in the United States of America” and cast the race in national terms, claiming Marshall was “all that stands between the people of Kansas and Communists controlling the United States Senate.” Trump attacked Hamilton as a “Radical Left Phony” who was pretending to be a moderate, while praising Marshall’s positions on taxes, regulation, energy and immigration. He concluded by reiterating his “Complete and Total Endorsement” of Marshall and urging voters: “GET OUT AND VOTE FOR ROGER.” Trump's trip also comes after several recent polls showed Hamilton ahead in a state Trump carried by more than 16 points in the 2024 presidential election.
It will be Trump's second Kansas appearance on Marshall's behalf in a matter of weeks. He rallied for the senator near Wichita on October 19, telling voters to "pretend" he was on the ballot when they cast their votes. The latest visit has itself been through an unusual series of changes.
Trump had initially been scheduled to appear in Salina on October 31 before the Republican National Committee (RNC) announced on Thursday that planned in-person appearances in Kansas and Iowa had been canceled in favor of tele-rallies. The RNC said at the time that Republicans were in a "strong position" in both states. By Friday, however, the Kansas event was back on the schedule, but moved to Sunday.
Hamilton responded to the reinstated visit by saying Trump was "always welcome in Kansas," while calling on the president to meet Kansans he said were being hurt by policies from Washington. Trump has also been using his social media account to encourage Republican turnout in Kansas ahead of Election Day. In another Truth Social post on Sunday, he urged supporters to vote early and that Republicans needed to produce “massive turnout,” noting that in-person early voting continues through November 2.
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