President Donald Trump urged a lively crowd of his Mississippi fans not to “stay home” for the midterm elections, as a Senate race once considered safely Republican has tightened.
Mississippi is typically among the most reliably red states, but the Cook Political Report last week moved its rating of the race between Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Scott Colom from solid Republican to likely Republican. Trump’s 32-day midterm blitz included a stop in Corinth, Mississippi, on Monday night, just eight days before Election Day.
The president urged voters to pretend he’s on the ballot.
“The reason is, when I’m on the ballot, exactly 49% more people show up,” he said.
Trump’s midterm election tour has targeted states that he won by large margins in 2024 but where Republicans are currently embroiled in closer-than-expected races.
When asked about the race by the Daily Signal, Trump said Hyde-Smith was doing well, but he wanted to ensure she maintained her seat.
“I want to make sure she wins,” he said. “She’s a great person, and she’s a great senator. She loves Mississippi. She loves her state.”
Trump asked an arena filled to the brim with Republican voters not to neglect voting for Hyde-Smith.
“Sometimes when you think somebody’s doing so well, nobody votes,” Trump said. “They all stay home.”
Amid rural voters’ discontentment with high prices, Trump defended high oil prices, saying he thought they would go even higher.
“We had to do it,” he said of the war in Iran. “It should have been done 10 years ago.”
“The price of oil is lower than it was with [Joe] Biden and [Barack] Obama, and they didn’t do anything to do with destroying nuclear capability,” he added.
Trump continued his midterm tour trend of emphasizing investments in the local economy.
“Right here in Mississippi, Toyota is investing $129 million to expand production at its Blue Springs plant,” he said.
Trump concluded the rally by contrasting Hyde-Smith and her Democrat opponent, Colom.
“He’s a disaster,” he said. “He wants to take your guns away. He wants to open your borders. You must reelect Cindy Hyde-Smith.”
The Colom campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Signal’s request for comment.
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[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
