Donald Trump went to Park City, Kansas, on Monday to save a senator and talked about France burning. He is at 31%.
Reuters/Ipsos polled Oct. 16 to 19 and closed the day he landed.
He came for Roger Marshall. "In 15 days, we're going to reelect Roger Marshall," he said. Then he told the crowd France is "a once great nation that is being conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists and communists who hate Christianity." He went on: "When you see burning steeples and raging fires in France, just remember that is what the radical Dumocrats want to do to America." On the border, he said: "If they win the midterms, they will do it again."
France did riot last weekend. Police made at least 2,400 arrests. A lot of the anger was about the cost of living. Nobody has reported a burned church.
The truck stop on the walk in had Kansas's own cost of living on its sign: gas $3.98, diesel $5.78, up about 45% on last year by AAA's count.
Kansas has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1932. Marshall is trailing or within a point of Adam Hamilton, the Democrat, in four polls. On Oct. 6 the Cook Political Report moved the race from Lean Republican to Toss Up. The same day it moved North Carolina from Lean Democrat to Likely Democrat.
His own party had already given up on North Carolina. On Oct. 2 the Senate Leadership Fund, the Senate Republicans' main super PAC, canceled about $18 million of ads it had booked for October in North Carolina. It booked about $8.2 million in Kansas instead. Four people who knew told the AP, which read it as a lack of confidence in North Carolina. Cook moved both ratings four days later.
