Trump says Republicans will defy midterm odds

With his approval rating at record lows, US President Donald Trump attempted to defy political gravity in a pep rally in North Carolina on Tuesday, urging voters to support his favored Senate candidate in a race some Republican groups have already given up on.

Trump has embarked on a campaign blitz ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, traveling more than 29,000 miles (46,671 km) since late September to boost Republican candidates.

H is second stop in North Carolina in as many months was a signal of how much is at stake in this southern state.

Polls show former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper with a commanding lead over Republican Michael Whatley, a former senior party official, in a Senate race that could help decide the balance of power in Washington.

The two are running to fill the seat of retiring Republican Thom Tillis, a one-time Trump ally, who split with the president over his landmark tax bill and defense policy.

Tillis told Politico in a Tuesday interview that his fellow Republicans were headed toward “a train wreck” and a “whoop ass” in November.

But Trump, speaking in the eastern city of Greenville on Tuesday night, predicted Whatley would prove the doubters wrong.

“I think you’re gonna see some amazing results,” he told hundreds of supporters who gathered on the grounds of the local airport.

“They never poll us right.

We have more spirit.” ‘WE NEED YOU’ Trump won North Carolina in each of his three presidential runs, but Democrats are banking on a breakthrough performance this year, with polls showing a clear majority of Americans dissatisfied with rising prices and the war in Iran.

The president’s approval rating has fallen to 31%, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos survey, the lowest mark at any point during his two terms in office.

In early voting in North Carolina, Democrats have cast more ballots than Republicans by a two-to-one margin, according to state data.

Republican candidates on Tuesday night implored voters to turn out early.

“This is a Republican majority district,” said Laurie Buckhout, a Trump-backed candidate running for a congressional seat in a mostly rural eastern district.