Trump Cancels Iowa and Kansas Rallies, Switches to Phone Campaigning

President Donald Trump had been holding hours-long rallies for Republican candidates nearly every day for weeks, according to The New York Times. His final campaign stretch included planned weekend stops in Iowa and Kansas.

Those visits would have taken him to two competitive Senate contests. NBC News described both races as toss-ups that could be important to either party's effort to control Congress.

On October 29, Trump canceled the Iowa and Kansas rallies and opted to campaign by telephone instead, Associated Press reported. His party said the change could allow him to reach more voters.

Trump still appeared at a rally in Rock Hill, South Carolina, that Thursday afternoon. According to CBS Top Stories, he campaigned there for Republican Senate candidate Darline Graham.

By October 30, the replacement campaign had a broader outline. Al Jazeera reported that the Republican National Committee had announced broadcasts in at least 20 states.

The schedule change also prompted questions about Trump's health. Times now reported on October 30 that he had rejected health concerns while switching to tele-rallies. The supplied coverage does not establish a health-related reason for the cancellations.

The change is a shift in how Trump will campaign, not an announcement that he is ending his involvement. He is replacing the two trips with telephone appearances during the remaining days before the vote, according to Associated Press.

Kansas remains a closely fought contest. The Independent reported that Republican Senator Roger Marshall is in a tight reelection race against Democratic candidate Adam Hamilton.

The next step is the rollout of the telephone broadcasts announced by the Republican National Committee. The party's stated case is that this format can reach more voters, but the provided coverage offers no results yet to test that claim, according to Associated Press.

The November 3 elections are the immediate deadline, as reported by Times now. The Iowa and Kansas Senate results will be especially important to watch because both contests are considered competitive, according to NBC News.