President Donald Trump has canceled a visit to Salina, Kansas, on Saturday.
Officials with the Salina Regional Airport say they received word Thursday that all activities for the president on Saturday have been canceled. The Kansas Republican Party confirmed the cancelation.
It would have been Trump's second trip to Kansas in as many weeks.
He had planned to rally in support of Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, who is in a tight race with Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton.
The cancellation came just five days ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3, when Trump’s GOP is vying to maintain its razor-thin majority in the U.S. House and control of the Senate.
Meanwhile, election forecasters say Democrats remain heavily favored to win the majority in the House, and Senate races have also moved in the direction of Democrats. Trump is up against dismal approval ratings amid the war in Iran and its effect on gas and diesel prices.
Trump “will continue connecting directly with Americans nationwide through more than 20 telerallies before Election Day,” according to a White House official, speaking on background.
The official added that “these events give him the opportunity to highlight his accomplishments and expand his reach across the country.”
Trump previously made a stop to support Marshall in the Wichita area last week.
The race between Marshall and Hamilton is now the most expensive election in the state’s history, Kansas Reflector reported Thursday.
Trump — whose midterm travel blitz began in early October — rallied Thursday in Rock Hill, South Carolina, for GOP Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed in July to serve out the remainder of her late brother Lindsey Graham’s term.
Graham faces Democratic candidate Dr. Annie Andrews in a Senate race the Cook Political Report has identified as “lean Republican.”
This story was originally published by the Kansas Reflector, with additional reporting by KMUW.
