With less than a week until Election Day, the nation's top political figures are fanning out across the South in a final sprint to energize voters in races that have tightened unexpectedly.
President Trump is scheduled to hold a midday rally Thursday in Rock Hill, South Carolina, near the North Carolina border, aiming to boost Senator Darline Graham (R-SC) in her re-election bid against Democrat Annie Andrews. The race, once considered safe for Graham, has narrowed in recent weeks, prompting a late surge of GOP attention. Polls suggest the two are essentially tied, a scenario that has alarmed Republicans fighting to hold the Senate.
Vice President Vance is heading to Weatherford, Texas, to headline a rally for Ken Paxton, the state's attorney general, who is locked in a surprisingly competitive Senate contest against Democrat James Talarico. Trump has already visited Texas three times in October on Paxton's behalf, underscoring GOP concern about a seat they have long dominated. The tightness of these races reflects a broader trend of Republican miscalculations that could jeopardize the majority.
On the Democratic side, former Vice President Kamala Harris will be in Macon, Georgia, to support Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) in his re-election effort. Her visit comes a day after former President Barack Obama campaigned for Ossoff in Atlanta, where he hammered the party's affordability message and took a swipe at Trump over the recent Cheesecake Factory controversy. "They mobilized a whole of government response to that joke. Not to inflation, but to that joke," Obama said, mocking the administration's priorities.
In Alaska, Governor Mike Dunleavy (R) late Wednesday ordered an investigation into whether Democrat Mary Peltola's Senate campaign violated state law by allegedly recruiting spoiler candidates to siphon votes from her Republican opponent. The probe adds another layer to an already contentious race, though analysts say the impact on the outcome may be minimal. Trump has seized on the allegations, calling for Peltola to be barred from the race, but the controversy has not shifted the fundamentals.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are hosting a Halloween event at the White House on Thursday evening, and the president is also scheduled to participate in two tele-rallies as part of the GOP's get-out-the-vote push.
The flurry of activity underscores the high stakes in the final days. With control of the Senate hanging in the balance, both parties are deploying their biggest names to shore up support in states that were once considered safe. The outcome in South Carolina, Texas, and Georgia could determine which party holds the chamber, and the candidates are leaving nothing to chance.
