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- Derek Weston via fox - Politics
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- Politics·4 min to read
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Trump to Rally in Kansas as Senate Race Tightens
ReTrump to Rally in Kansas as Senate Race Tightens
President Trump is expected to promote his immigration agenda at a rally near Wichita on Monday, as the Senate race between Sen. Roger Marshall and pastor Adam Hamilton has been downgraded to a toss-up.
President Donald Trump is expected to promote his immigration record at a rally just outside Wichita, Kansas, on Monday, as a Senate contest that was once considered safe for Republicans has tightened into a toss-up. The visit to a state Trump carried by double digits in the last three presidential elections underscores Republican concerns about holding the seat.
White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said in a statement that Trump «stopped the invasion of our country and delivered Americans the most secure border in American history.» She added that under his leadership «3 million illegals have left the United States and zero illegals have been released at the border in seventeen months.» Bis also criticized Democrats, saying they want to return to «extreme open border policies, abolish ICE, and grant amnesty.»
The rally follows a three-day immigration enforcement operation in southwest Kansas last month dubbed «Operation Safe Community — Kansas,» during which federal agents made more than 100 arrests. The White House identified several of those detained as «worst of the worst,» including individuals convicted of first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, drug offenses, and rape. The enforcement actions are part of a broader push by the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement that has produced arrests and deportations across the state in recent months.
Trump's appearance comes as the race between Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican seeking a second term, and megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton has drawn national attention. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan race ranker, downgraded the contest to a toss-up earlier this month, and money from both Republican and Democratic groups is flowing into the state. Kansas voters have not elected a Democratic senator in nearly a century.
Marshall has aligned closely with Trump throughout the cycle, rarely breaking from him on key issues. Hamilton, by contrast, has distanced himself from the Democratic establishment in Washington and has said he would not support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for another term leading the caucus.
Immigration has emerged as a central flashpoint in the race. Marshall pushed back on last month's ICE operation, saying «when ICE operates in Kansas, it needs to coordinate with our local law enforcement.» He added that «our sheriffs and police know these communities better than anyone, and working together keeps officers and residents safe.»
Republicans have targeted Hamilton over his immigration stance, with outside groups such as the Senate Leadership Fund running ads accusing him of supporting mass amnesty. Hamilton has rejected that characterization, telling the Johnson County Post that the previous administration's border policies «caused a different kind of chaos.» He said «record crossings overwhelmed communities, and the immigration courts fell years behind,» adding, «I'm not for open borders, and dangerous criminals don't belong here.»
The rally is intended to energize Republican voters in a state that has long been a GOP stronghold but where the Senate race has become unexpectedly competitive. Trump is expected to lean into the policy positions that helped propel him and Republicans to power two years ago, with immigration at the center of his message.
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