Democratic candidates were pushing their message in the key Republican strongholds of Texas, Iowa, Ohio and Kansas as campaigning wrapped upon Monday, seeking to capitalize on voter dissatisfaction with the Iran war and rising prices.
Republicans, meanwhile, cast their opponents as left-wing radicals while touting President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and tax cuts as policies that will benefit Americans.
In his final public campaign appearance at the National Mall, Trump appeared to lower expectations for his party’s performance.
“For some reason, the sitting president doesn’t win the midterms, but we gave this a very strong shot,” he said, adding that the Democrats had “nominated the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history.”
In rambling remarks, he said little about the national economy, only insisting that it was “great.” Instead, he devoted most of his speech to the renovation of Washington’s algae-plagued Reflecting Pool.
Vice President JD Vance campaigned in Rome, New York, praising Trump’s moves to end taxes on tips and overtime and secure the border while calling Democrats as “lunatics.”
In Texas, which hasn’t had a Democratic senator since 1988, Democrat James Talarico blamed Trump’s “corrupt tariffs” for rising grocery prices and “a new corrupt war in the Middle East” for higher gas and diesel prices.
In the same state, Republican Ken Paxton attacked Talarico in cultural terms as “a vegan who hates meat,” and falsely calling him a democratic socialist “just like New York Mayor Mamdani.”
Meanwhile, in the key state of Michigan, Democrats were working to maintain a united front after a messy spat that culminated in Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens endorsing Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers.
El-Sayed largely ignored the controversy at campaign events on Monday, stressing instead that his campaign was about the concerns of voters.
Stevens did not attend Rogers’ rally Monday night, but she got a long ovation from the crowd when Rogers mentioned her endorsement.
Source: www.dw.com
