President Donald Trump brought his midterm campaign blitz to Greenville, North Carolina, on Tuesday night, urging voters to back Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley in a race that could decide control of the Senate. According to Reuters, Trump has traveled more than 29,000 miles since late September boosting Republican candidates, and his second stop in North Carolina in as many months underscored how much is at stake in the state.
Polls show former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper with a commanding lead over Whatley, a former senior party official, in the contest for the seat of retiring Republican Thom Tillis. Tillis, a one-time Trump ally who split with the president over his landmark tax bill and defense policy, told Politico on Tuesday that his fellow Republicans were headed toward "a train wreck" and a "whoop ass" in November. Trump, speaking on the grounds of the local airport, predicted Whatley would prove the doubters wrong: "I think you're gonna see some amazing results. They never poll us right. We have more spirit."
The rally came as Trump's approval rating fell to 31% in the latest Reuters/Ipsos survey, the lowest mark of either of his terms. Trump won North Carolina in each of his three presidential runs, but Democrats are banking on voter dissatisfaction with rising prices and the war in Iran. With two weeks until the November 3 election, the North Carolina seat remains one of the likeliest Democratic pickups in the Senate.