President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama are both hitting the campaign trail as the midterm elections enter their final stretch, with control of Congress and a slate of governor’s mansions on the line on November 3.
The duelling appearances underscore how much both parties believe is at stake. Trump has been crisscrossing the country for Republican candidates, while Obama has emerged as the Democrats’ most in-demand surrogate in the closing weeks.
In Minnesota, the presidential spotlight has already reshaped one race. Trump this week endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth and attorney general candidate Ron Schutz, after initially backing MyPillow founder Mike Lindell in the governor’s contest. Lindell lost the Republican primary to Demuth in August.
Minnesota becomes a midterm test case
Demuth, the state House speaker, faces Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar in a race both parties are watching closely. Trump’s endorsement gives her the full backing of the national party as early voting gets under way.
The White House push comes as the administration juggles crowded foreign policy inboxes, from Marco Rubio’s Central Asia diplomacy to the president’s own legal battles, including his bid to delay a deposition in his lawsuit against the BBC.
Why the trail matters this year
Midterms historically punish the party in the White House, and Republicans are bracing for Democratic energy fuelled by fights over health care costs, tariffs and the administration’s deportation drive. Democrats, meanwhile, know that a former president on the stump cuts both ways, energising the base while giving Republicans a familiar target.
With less than two weeks to go, both camps say the map is still fluid. What is not in doubt, according to NPR’s morning brief, is that the biggest names in American politics see these midterms as a verdict on the country’s direction.
