Trump’s Mississippi Rally and the Presence of His Opponent
President Donald Trump campaigned Monday in Mississippi as part of a closing midterm rally blitz highlighting Republicans’ challenges ahead of an election that could shift power in Washington and statehouses. The event was designed to boost Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who faces a stiff challenge from Democrat Scott Colom.
Trump stated, “I’m here because Cindy’s doing great, but I just got to make sure. I can’t take a chance,” while addressing the crowd. The rally took on an unusual dynamic when Democrat Scott Colom was spotted at the site, creating a rare spectacle of interaction with Trump’s supporters.
Trump later denigrated Colom as a “Marxist radical” and “fake” and “shameless phony who pretends to be a moderate.” In response, Colom said he planned to attend the rally to listen to what was on Trump supporters’ minds, adding, “They actually deserve a senator that will listen to them, that actually cares about what they think, actually cares about what they’re going through.”
Expanding Battlegrounds Amid Voter Discontent
Mississippi is among the nation’s most reliably Republican states, but Colom is one of many Democratic underdogs expanding battleground maps due to voter discontent over inflation, the Iran war, and other aspects of Trump’s second presidency.
Trump’s event kicks off a week of aggressive campaigning in states he won comfortably in 2024, including Texas, South Carolina, and Iowa. Officials announced late Monday that Trump plans to hold a rally Saturday in Salina, Kansas, marking his second visit to the state in less than two weeks.
Vice President JD Vance returned to Kansas to stump for Sen. Roger Marshall, who is in a tight contest with a Democratic candidate. Meanwhile, more than 30 million voters have already cast ballots, according to data collected by The Associated Press from election administrators across the country.
Democratic Strategy and Controversial Advertisements
Democrats are trying to end Republicans’ threadbare majority in the House, take over a Senate majority once thought secure for Republicans, and end the GOP’s national advantage in state capitals. Former Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned in Wisconsin with Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who faces Rep. Tom Tiffany for governor; Crowley would be the state’s first Black governor if elected.
Harris said at the “Women for Crowley” rally, “This is a tight race because the stakes are so high.”
In Michigan, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed distanced himself from an ad created by Rebellion PAC that blames high grocery prices on U.S. support for Israel. El-Sayed’s spokesperson, Roxie Richner, stated, “This ad is not affiliated in any way with the Abdul for Senate campaign.”
The ad features a couple discussing U.S. support for Israel while shopping, with one woman saying, “Apparently it’s costing us a lot of money to drop bombs on Gaza.” U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens condemned the ad, writing on X that winning Michigan is “not by blaming the high costs of our goods on the only Jewish homeland in the world.”
El-Sayed, who would be the country’s first Muslim senator, has denounced antisemitism while fiercely criticizing Israel for its military operations in Gaza.