Posted on 10/29/2026 1:02:00 PM PDT by Miami Rebel
After making a stop in Wichita earlier in October, President Donald Trump is now headed to Salina this Saturday. The location has changed, but the purpose has not.
Trump will be back in the Sunflower State to campaign for Sen. Roger Marshall. Marshall's race to keep his Senate seat has rapidly gotten tighter, as Democrat Adam Hamilton has out-fundraised and rallied support for an upset.
One week from election day, Marshall spent Tuesday morning in Mission Hills meeting with Kansas business leaders and Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council. The meeting was in his role as a senator, but he took questions from reporters afterward. Marshall said he felt like the momentum for the campaign was on his side, especially as Trump and Vance have each made a trip to the state in the last week.
"I think that the folks coming here are just a sign that they care about me keeping the Senate majority," Marshall said. "And it's that important to the president as well." Salina is reliably red, and Marshall said he hopes the president's visit will help send voters to the polls.
"He needs to get his voters out," Marshall said. "There's probably 175,000 Kansans that only get out to vote when President Trump is on the ticket. So he needs to communicate why it's so important they get out."
Bob Beatty, chair of the Political Science Department at Washburn University, said he predicted the Marshall-Hamilton race could be very close, but he did not anticipate Trump and Vance being so involved this close to election day. "We've never seen anything like this in modern history in terms of the incumbent president camping out with his vice president in Kansas," Beatty said lightheartedly. "I'm joking, of course, but four visits is a lot. You know, when you're considering there's 50 states out there."
Beatty said it's called a base strategy. Trump and Marshall are hoping the president activates his loyal voters. "It's just a numbers game," Beatty said. "What they're hoping to do is just outnumber the people that don't like Trump in this election, and they can do it. There's enough of them." Beatty said it's just a matter of whether enough Republicans loyal to Trump, and by extension Marshall, get out to vote.
The latest early voting numbers across Kansas could also be signaling concern to the White House. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 240,000 ballots had been submitted either through in-person early voting or by mail. Of those ballots, roughly 45% are registered democrats and 40% are registered Republicans. Marshall said this should be a sign to Republicans.
"Certainly what it tells us is the Democrats are getting out like it's a general presidential election," Marshall said. "Republicans need to catch up. So all the more important to give them that message, that the voters here, that we have to turn out to vote. That we need these people that have supported President Trump in the past to get out and vote."
Traditionally, Beatty said more Democrats tend to vote early, and more Republicans tend to vote on election day, but he does think these numbers are certainly still concerning. "I'm wondering if the turnout numbers partially helped prompt the White House to send Trump back for one last visit. Obviously, they're also going to be doing some polling that probably shows, you know, it'll be essentially a dead heat."
Beatty said these two trips by Trump could backfire for Marshall and his campaign if the president's attention on Kansas also encourages democrats and moderates to head to the polls to vote against him.
At least nationally, Donald Trump's disapproval is quite high," Beatty said. "It's actually the highest for him of his presidency. So that's going to prompt people to go out and vote against him. And that's why Trump's coming to counteract that with people that will vote for him. So I think the early voting obviously favors the Democrats at the moment. And that's, I think, partially why Trump is coming back to camp."
We'll see whether the extra visits from top Republican leaders help Marshall one week from Tuesday.
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Doesn’t appear there’s going to be a rally.
Seriously... a rally in Salina?
Running up the score in the Heartland.
Kansas politics this year are brutal!
Tons of negative ads about everyone.
We got pastor/peadophiles.
Roger Marshall is the sorriest S.O.B on the planet!
He’s a Trumper that was buds with Epstein.
You remember, that guy that didnt hang himself?
And we will tell you again in 15 minutes.
The blonde Karen for Gov gives your property taxes straight to the illegals crossing the border, and wants a tranny in every public restroom!
I believe it was canceled.
I see what you did there!
I don’t think Adam Hamilton is a pedophile. He just protected the one on his payroll.
I don’t think Adam Hamilton is a pedophile. He just protected the one on his payroll.
Hell if we have to fight to keep Kansas, its not a good sign.
One of my daughters- a flaming liberal…..
If they aren’t already energized, then they are worthless.
Another *huge* immigration win for President Trump and Secretary Rubio. Must they, now, open the diversity visa lottery program? The program gives visas to people for being from countries without many people that qualify for merit based visas. No, per the Ninth Circuit. Stayed!
Judge N.R. Smith concurs. Beyond no likelihood of success on the merits, there is also likely no Article III standing. Without standing, there can be no injunction. This is a big loss for the immigration activist associational plaintiff.
The panel includes judges McKeown (Clinton), N.R. Smith (GW Bush) and H. Thomas (Biden). Not a strong conservative panel by any means. Read the opinion here:
I can’t imagine that that’ll move the needle in Kansas.
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