Trump makes final midterm push in once-safe Republican states as polls favour Democrats

Donald Trump spent the final weekend before Tuesday's US midterm elections holding rallies in Florida, Iowa and Kansas, states he won comfortably in past elections, as Republicans fight to keep control of Congress. The choice of venues underscored the party's defensive posture. Florida, Iowa and Kansas were once considered reliably Republican, but the president's visits in the closing days of his campaign highlighted how competitive they have become in determining which party controls the House and Senate. Trump also staged tele-rallies for candidates in states including Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The president is facing a backlash over the cost of living, with prices for fuel, groceries and health care rising since the war in Iran began more than eight months ago. At the rallies he appeared to have two aims: shifting the conversation away from those pressures and using fear to turn out the Republican vote. Trump told supporters he had transformed the country, saying Democrats had left the US in a "dark age" but that under his command it had quickly become "the golden age of America". In Florida and Iowa he warned that Democrats in power would "open the border", "bankrupt your family", "take away your guns" and "mutilate your children", and played video montages of Democrats criticising ICE and supporting transgender rights. Supporters cheered, but some Republicans have expressed disquiet about his appeal to more moderate voters. Democrats, meanwhile, projected confidence. House leader Hakeem Jeffries said at the weekend that he was "very confident" his party was on course to win control of the House of Representatives, as senior figures including former President Barack Obama made final appeals to voters. A forecasting tool from Harvard University that compiles multiple polls and historical data gives Democrats a 96% chance of taking the House and a 76% chance of taking the Senate. An NBC News national poll published at the weekend put registered voters at 52% in favour of a Democrat-controlled Congress against 45% for Republicans. The weekend also brought a dramatic turn in Michigan's tightly contested Senate race, a seat currently held by Democrats. Haley Stevens, a sitting congresswoman who lost the Democratic nomination to Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed the Republican candidate, Mike Rogers, on Sunday. The move drew widespread condemnation from fellow Democrats and praise from Republicans, with Trump calling her "very brave". In Alaska, home to another crucial Senate race, a judge on Sunday dismissed an attempt by the Trump administration to delay certifying election results if the Republican incumbent loses, in a dispute arising from two candidates with the same name appearing on the ballot. The ruling came amid a broader pattern. In the run-up to the election, Trump and his administration have repeatedly cast doubt on the credibility and security of the vote, despite evidence showing voter fraud is extremely rare. The justice department has launched investigations or demanded votes be set aside in multiple states. The stakes are high for the president, as midterm results are seen as a measure of how satisfied Americans are with a president's performance, and the party holding the White House typically loses seats. Republicans, who hold slim majorities in both the House and Senate, risk hindering their ability to pass laws and shape policy if they lose ground. Democrats, if they prevail, would gain investigative powers over the administration, be positioned to challenge Trump's agenda, and could showcase their vision ahead of the 2028 presidential election. For voters, the outcome will shape everyday concerns including fuel and grocery prices, inflation, health care and abortion access, income and property taxes, and immigration.