Voters who waited in long lines to see President Donald Trump in Wichita, Kansas, said the cost of living is still a serious concern, but many told interviewers that their deepest worry is Democrats winning control of Congress and stalling the president's agenda.
The rally at the Heartland Credit Union Arena was Trump's first visit to the Wichita area by a sitting president since George W. Bush in 2007, and it formed part of a broader Republican effort to energize the party's base in a midterm cycle in which Trump is not on the ballot. National Republicans have argued that without that loyal voting bloc, the party cannot hold its ground amid difficult political conditions.
Kansas is emerging as an unexpected battleground. Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, seeking a second term, is facing Democrat Adam Hamilton, the former leader of the Church of the Resurrection, a congregation of nearly 23,000 people. The Cook Political Report recently moved the race to toss-up status, prompting Republicans to spend more heavily in the state. Six Republican-held Senate seats are now considered toss-ups nationally.
Supporters at the rally acknowledged economic frustration but framed the election as a choice with higher stakes. Kathy Bond said her biggest concern was that Trump would not get the support he needs to protect the country, pointing to unrest in Paris as an example of what she fears could spread. Others said voting Republican down the ballot was essential to preserving the party's majority. «We've got to vote Republican down the ballot this year,» said Emily, one rally attendee. «There's too much at stake.»
Marshall said in an interview before the rally that gasoline prices had tightened the contest, describing how his poll numbers slipped as fuel costs rose. He said he feels voters' pain and has visited all 105 Kansas counties each year, but argued that losing the seat would return Democrats to policies that drove prices higher. He also noted that average gas prices remain lower under Trump than they were under former President Joe Biden.
Some attendees said Marshall should answer for his Senate record but still preferred his experience to the uncertainty of a political newcomer. «Somebody like Hamilton that hasn't been in this game and doesn't really know exactly what all this entails,» said Jenny, another voter. «I'm sure his intentions are good, but I just don't think that he has the background to do what's necessary for our state.»
The rally underscored the balancing act facing Republicans: motivating voters angry about prices while convincing them that Democratic control of Congress would be worse. With the Senate majority at stake and Kansas now competitive, both parties are treating the state as a priority in the final stretch before Election Day.