US President Donald Trump rallied supporters in Kansas on Monday as he launched a seven-state campaign tour through areas he won in 2024, with poor poll numbers and close races in Republican strongholds raising fears of major Democratic victories in November’s midterm elections.

Trump appeared at a packed rally on the outskirts of Wichita with 15 days left until the 3 November vote. He urged voters to back Senator Roger Marshall, who faces a tight race against Methodist megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton.

“Whatever you do, get out and vote,” Trump told the crowd. He repeated his promises to end the unpopular war in Iran, make his tax cuts permanent and bring prosperity to Americans.

“All you have to do is turn out. If you turn out, we win,” he said.

Trump won Kansas by 16 percentage points just two years ago. The state has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932. Yet analysts now rate it a “toss-up”, and a key fundraising group for Republican senators has moved money from North Carolina to defend a seat it once considered safe.

Republicans hold narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress. Democrats need a net gain of just four seats to capture the Senate.

Seven-state tour targets base voters

Trump will visit the Carolinas, Iowa, Florida, Georgia and Michigan over the next six days. All seven states backed him in 2024, though his victories in Michigan, Georgia and North Carolina came by narrow margins.

The schedule suggests the campaign aims to energise loyal supporters rather than win over undecided voters. Many of these supporters stay home when Trump does not appear on the ballot.

Two stops, North Carolina and Iowa, serve as damage control in Republican-held seats. Many national party officials have given up on North Carolina. The party is trying to win a Democratic-held seat in Michigan but has struggled to gain ground in Georgia.

Vice President JD Vance is campaigning separately in North Carolina, Ohio and Nebraska, where the sitting Republican senator fights off a strong challenge from an independent candidate.

Approval ratings hit new lows

A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos survey published on Sunday put Trump’s approval rating at 33%, the lowest of either of his terms in that poll. Some 66% disapprove. An NBC News poll released the same day showed him at 34%.

Asked which party they would back for Congress, likely voters favoured Democrats by eight points in the Post-ABC poll. Registered voters favoured Democrats by 10 points in the NBC poll.

The figures point to a possible Democratic wave, though national polls do not translate directly into seats. Partisan redistricting affects results, and polls can miss by several points in either direction.

Economy weighs on Republicans

The economy has become a major problem for a president who promised to bring prices down. Fuel costs have soared since the United States went to war with Iran. Tariffs have added to the strain on consumers, especially farmers in agricultural states such as Iowa and Kansas.

Theatre director Kim Klein (64), who lives near Wichita, stood among hundreds of people outside the rally who could not get into the packed event.

“He’s done so much for us,” Klein said of Trump after calling on fellow Republicans to vote. “He needs time. It’s only been two years. This stuff takes time.”

Even immigration, still Trump’s best-rated issue, draws criticism. Some 56% in the Post-ABC poll said his deportation campaign has gone too far.

ALSO READ: Trump faces midterm reckoning as Republicans brace for potential losses

Democrats have turned public discontent into campaign cash. Third-quarter filings showed their Senate candidates raised far more than Republicans in Ohio, Iowa and other key races.

Just over nine million votes have already been cast nationwide, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab.

In Texas, where early voting began on Monday, Democrat James Talarico raised about $64 million in the third quarter. This set a record for a Senate candidate and came to more than triple Republican Ken Paxton’s $18 million.

In House races, at least 47 Republican incumbents were outraised by Democratic or independent challengers, according to Punchbowl News.

Republicans rely on outside groups to close the gap. The groups receive funding in part from Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, who has given some $366 million this election cycle, including $158 million to Paxton.

ALSO READ: US midterm elections: Republicans face tough battle as Trump’s approval plummets