Democrats lead polls as Trump tours Texas

President Donald Trump held two campaign rallies in Texas on Tuesday. He traveled to the state to support Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton. The next day, he planned to move to Ohio for a third rally in that state this month.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on October 26 indicates Democrats hold a nine-point lead over Republicans nationwide. The survey, conducted between October 22 and 26, found that 47 percent of voters support Democrats while 36 percent support Republicans. When accounting for undecided voters, the gap widens to 50 percent for Democrats and 41 percent for Republicans.

Trump’s personal approval rating rose by one point to 32 percent. However, 73 percent of US adults in the survey stated that the cost of living is moving in the wrong direction. The polling results suggest the Texas Senate race is much tighter than the president has implied.

In Texas, Democrat James Talarico and Paxton are virtually tied in the polls. Democrats have not won a Senate election in the state since 1988. Phil Lavelle, reporting from Corpus Christi, noted that Trump has visited Texas four times in seven weeks. This frequency is double what was observed during the same period before the 2024 election.

Lavelle added that local analysis suggests more Republicans have voted early than Democrats. However, Talarico is courting Republicans who are dissatisfied with Trump. Lavelle clarified that early Republican turnout does not necessarily mean those voters are choosing Republican candidates.

The race in Kansas is also close, with incumbent Republican Roger Marshall facing Democrat Adam Hamilton. The Associated Press reports that both parties and their allied groups have committed about 71 million dollars to campaign advertising in the contest. This makes it the most expensive Senate race in Kansas history. Trump and Vice President JD Vance have both traveled to the state to support the effort.

In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers are competing in a closely contested Senate race. Michael Alexander, a Native American voter supporting El-Sayed, told Al Jazeera that he became an independent in the last two elections. He said he now votes for the candidate he believes will do the best job rather than choosing based on party affiliation.

On Wednesday, Trump will speak in Chillicothe, Ohio, at 23:00 GMT. He is challenging former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown for the seat held by Republican Senator Jon Husted. More than 400 million dollars have been spent or reserved for advertising in the Ohio race as of October 8. Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama will campaign in Atlanta, Georgia, at 20:00 GMT alongside Senator Jon Ossoff and gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris begins a three-day visit to Georgia on Wednesday. Early in-person voting in the state ends on Friday, October 30. In North Carolina, Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to speak in Kinston at 16:30 GMT to support Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley. Whatley is running against former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.

Marquette Law School will publish a statewide poll in Wisconsin at 18:15 GMT on Wednesday. The survey will examine voter views on inflation, tariffs, the US-Israel war on Iran, and Trump’s presidency. Republicans are particularly concerned about outcomes in Texas, Ohio, Kansas, and Iowa, where third-party votes could swing the results.