Donald Trump has made a last-minute intervention in Texas as he seeks to prevent Democrats from ending the Republican party’s decades-long grip on statewide office in next week’s midterm elections.
The president travelled to Corpus Christi on Tuesday to campaign for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, with a second rally planned in Lubbock later in the day. It is Trump’s third visit to Texas in a month, underlining the importance of the race against Democrat James Talarico.
Paxton, Texas’s attorney general, is facing an unexpectedly close contest in a state where Democrats have not won a statewide election since 1994. Recent polling has shown Mr Talarico holding a narrow lead.
At the rally, Mr Trump urged supporters to back Mr Paxton and other Republican candidates, warning that the direction of the state could change rapidly if the party failed to retain control.
Mr Talarico was campaigning separately in Amarillo before also due to appear in Lubbock, where both candidates were seeking to mobilise voters during the final week of the campaign. Early voting in Texas continues until October 30, ahead of polling day on November 3.
The Senate contest has become one of the most closely watched races of the election, with Mr Trump using his political influence and campaign appearances to bolster Mr Paxton as Republicans face a stronger-than-expected Democratic challenge.
