Trump's approval rating has sunk to a historic low as the war with Iran and his tariffs drive up the cost of living for voters.
By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER
Published: 18:21 BST, 1 October 2026 | Updated: 22:02 BST, 1 October 2026
Donald Trump is scrambling to shore up 10 Republican strongholds he won by double digits in 2024, as Democrats appear on the verge of winning in states the GOP once considered impossible to lose.
In Kansas, which Trump carried by 16 points, Democrat Adam Hamilton has narrowly overtaken Republican Senator Roger Marshall in recent polling, according to Reuters.
Democrats are also competitive in Ohio, Alaska, Iowa, Texas, Florida, Nebraska, Mississippi, South Carolina and Kentucky with less than five weeks to go until Election Day.
The president is now moving across deep-red territory to fire up his base, following a South Texas rally on Wednesday with stops in Ohio on Saturday and Nebraska on Monday.
He is also heading to Oklahoma and Alabama this week, two states Republicans rarely lose sleep over.
'I think there are red flashing lights everywhere,' one Republican strategist told The Hill.
Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, meaning Democrats must defend two seats in Trump-won states and flip four GOP seats, at least two of them in states Trump won by double digits.
Trump's approval rating has sunk to a historic low as the war with Iran and his tariffs drive up the cost of living for voters.
Donald Trump is scrambling to shore up 10 Republican strongholds he won by double digits in 2024, as Democrats appear on the verge of winning in states the GOP once considered impossible to lose
In Kansas, which Trump carried by 16 points, Democrat Adam Hamilton has narrowly overtaken Republican Senator Roger Marshall (pictured above) in recent polling
Trump's approval rating has sunk to a historic low as the war with Iran and his tariffs drive up the cost of living for voters
In Florida and South Carolina, Democrats Angie Nixon and Annie Andrews are running neck and neck with Republican incumbents, while Democratic-aligned candidates in Nebraska, Mississippi and Kentucky trail by single digits.
GOP insiders, meanwhile, privately fear that the rising energy costs caused by the president's war could cost Republicans their majorities in the House and Senate during the midterm election.
In an interview with TIME magazine, Trump waved off his sagging approval ratings as 'fake,' insisting he would beat anyone running today by 20 points and branding pollsters 'almost as corrupt as the writers.'
Asked in the Oval Office on Wednesday whether the red-state swing spelled trouble, he dodged the question, bragged about the economy and blamed the party's woes on bad public relations.
Election experts have noted that presidents typically don't spend precious campaign days in states that are considered safe for their party.
Some Republicans are already inching away from the White House, with Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts both conceding that soaring fuel costs are squeezing families back home.
Money remains the GOP's firewall, with Republicans outspending Democrats by millions.
In some races the GOP leads by tens of millions, including on future ad reservations in Ohio, Texas, Iowa, Alaska and Kansas, according to ad-tracking firm AdImpact.
| # | Наименование новости | Тональность | Информативность | Дата публикации |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trump campaigns to shore up 10 Republican strongholds | 0 | 11.02 | 01-10-2026 |
| 2 | Poll: Trump's approval rating sinks to lowest ever amid Iran war | 0 | 4.44 | 20-03-2026 |
| 3 | Trump campaigns in red states amid discontent over rising prices, Iran war | 0 | 8.82 | 02-10-2026 |
| 4 | Trump's polls sink further in warning sign for GOP | 0 | 5.63 | 26-09-2026 |
| 5 | Trump's polls sink further as GOP support wavers | 0 | 7.51 | 26-09-2026 |
| 6 | We Finally Found Out What It Would Take for Republicans to Abandon Donald Trump | 0 | 8.16 | 23-09-2026 |
| 7 | Trump’s Approval Rating Drops as Fewer Americans Are Confident in His Handling of the Economy, Other Issues | 0 | 8.52 | 08-10-2026 |
| 8 | ‘Danger Sign’: New Polls Show How Much Republicans Have Turned on Trump | 0 | 9.25 | 24-09-2026 |
| 9 | The Latest: Trump hits the campaign trail, kicking off blitz before midterms | 0 | 7.7 | 02-10-2026 |