Election 2026: Trump Replaces Rallies With Phone Campaign

President Donald Trump canceled scheduled weekend rallies in Iowa and Kansas on Thursday, with the Republican National Committee announcing a shift to phone-based events. The party said this approach would allow contact with voters in nearly 20 states during the final days of the midterm campaign.

The RNC described the schedule as a 72-hour sprint of telerallies. Under this plan, Trump is expected to speak for about 10 minutes per call, compared to the more than 90 minutes he typically delivers at in-person gatherings. The president told reporters he plans to travel to Florida on Friday.

Trump traveled to South Carolina on Thursday, his second visit to the state in a month. The trip follows the appointment of Darline Graham to the Senate seat held by her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died earlier this year. Graham, who was appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster in July, secured the Republican nomination in August and faces Democrat Annie Andrews.

South Carolina has not elected a Democrat to the Senate in nearly three decades. Andrews, a pediatrician who previously ran for Congress, is campaigning on a message of change, telling voters to “try something new for once.” Trump promoted Graham as his successor, saying, “I got you into this thing, Darline.”

Voter sentiment remains a factor in the contest. Brent Chaplin, a 37-year-old registered Republican who works in finance and accounting, said he voted for Andrews and previously backed Trump in 2016. “You just can’t go and say I’m a Republican, I’m just going to vote Republican,” Chaplin said.

Republicans are also managing tight races in Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Iowa and Alaska. In Alaska, Trump called a report concerning candidate recruitment a “conspiracy” and called for Democrat Mary Peltola to be removed from the ballot. The state’s governor has ordered an investigation into the matter.

The U.S. Justice Department escalated its own investigation on Thursday by issuing grand jury subpoenas. The department also issued subpoenas to California officials regarding election administration, and a federal judge in the state appointed a special master to review administration claims that California has some 20,000 noncitizens on its voter rolls.

In Iowa, Democratic nominee Rob Sand is campaigning for governor, a post his party has not held since 2010. Sand told voters in a Des Moines suburb that he expects a Republican-controlled Legislature regardless of the election result, adding that people on the far left and far right would both be a little disappointed.