President Donald Trump is reversing course and again will hold a rally in Kansas on Sunday. The announcement comes just a day after Trump’s campaign canceled a planned event in Kansas that was scheduled for Saturday.
Trump's rescheduled rally is the latest part of a GOP blitz in support of Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, who’s in a tight race with Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton.
This will be Trump’s second visit in recent weeks. Vice President JD Vance also visited Kansas twice to support Marshall.
Staff at the Salina Regional Airport confirmed that the rally has been moved to 2 p.m. Sunday at the airport’s 509 hangar.
Kasey Windhorst, the airport’s business and communications manager, said there’s no word yet on when doors to the space will open to the public. She said the airport has only a general time for the new event.
The president was originally slated to visit the Salina airport on Saturday morning. That rally was sandwiched into a busy travel schedule for the president that included trips to Daytona, Florida, on Friday and Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday.
On Thursday the Republican National Committee put out a statement that the Iowa and Kansas events were canceled and would instead be replaced with a slate of tele-rallies.
“With Republicans in a strong position in Kansas and Iowa, previously planned in-person rallies in those states will no longer take place as scheduled,” the RNC statement Thursday said.
Then the RNC published a list of newly scheduled tele-rallies that included Iowa and Kansas.
Windhorst, with the Salina airport, said there were discussions late Thursday night and early Friday morning about rescheduling the event. By Friday morning the airport was told the event was back on.
The GOP hopes Trump's return can get more of the Republican base out to vote for Marshall.
“In this election, I'm asking you to pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot,” Trump said at his previous event in Park City. “Just pretend.”
Hamilton has previously said on the campaign trail that the presidential visits have helped his chances.
“The President is always welcome in Kansas,” Hamilton said in response to the news of the Trump visit to Salina Sunday. “I hope he takes the time to meet with Kansans who are being hurt by the policies coming out of Washington.”
A recent CNN poll shows Hamilton up on Marshall, but within the margin of error.
