Over 54 Million Votes Cast as Trump Rallies in Iowa and Kansas

The midterm election campaign enters its final days with a focus on states where Republicans hold strong historical advantages, even as their opponents push for control of Congress.

President Donald Trump campaigned in Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday before traveling to Salina, Kansas, to address voters in two states he won comfortably in previous cycles.

More than 54 million Americans have already cast ballots in the upcoming Tuesday election.

The first key development involves the Republican defensive strategy in the Midwest.

Trump told supporters in Iowa that the party was poised for sweeping victories on Election Day.

"We are going to elect 'America first' Republicans up and down the line," the president said at the Iowa rally.

The second key development concerns a split in the Democratic primary in Michigan.

Haley Stevens, the Republican opponent of Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in the Senate race, announced her endorsement of Republican candidate Mike Rogers.

Stevens, a congresswoman who lost the primary, said she was no longer welcome at a Democratic event, prompting her to back the GOP nominee.

"Our Democratic nominee for Senate said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away," Stevens said in a video announcing the endorsement.

Michigan Democrats responded by reaffirming their support for El-Sayed.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the party was united, while Senator Kirsten Gillibrand stated the group would reject efforts to divide the party. Senator Bernie Sanders also dismissed concerns about a split, noting that Stevens lost a close race and that voters were standing with El-Sayed. Michigan is a critical seat for Democrats; if they lose it, they must win races in heavily Republican states like Texas, Kansas, Ohio, or Iowa to retake the Senate. The third key development involves the internal Republican debate over the president's influence on the campaign. The final days of the race have become a test of Trump's strength within his own party. Jon Lutz, a 60-year-old civil engineer from Dubuque who attended his first rally on Sunday, said he wants Republicans to keep control of both chambers of Congress to advance the presidential agenda. "He is done what he has said he is going to do," Lutz said. Wendy Kuenzler, a 44-year-old from Burlington, also attended her first rally and said she does not blame rising prices for the president, describing him as being on the path to correcting the economy. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand held several events across Iowa on Sunday. Trump had paused rallies on Saturday for a Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago, where he told guests the country had never done better. Outgoing Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska warned that tariffs are not popular in the Midwest and predicted internal debate if the party suffers losses. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, expressed confidence that Republicans would keep the Senate, noting that the president's agenda is on the ballot. The president has held more than two dozen rallies in October, sometimes characterized by long asides and detailed descriptions of male politicians' physiques.