Trump Rally in Salina: Marshall and Moran Make the Closing Case as Trump Heads to His Last Stop of the Midterms
Kansas Republicans filled the early program at Salina Regional Airport on Sunday evening - Sen. Roger Marshall invoking Bob Dole, Sen. Jerry Moran framing the night as a fight for control of the Senate - while President Donald Trump finished a two-hour rally in Iowa and headed to what the Capital-Journal's live file calls his last campaign stop of the 2026 midterm cycle, due on stage at 7 p.m. CT.
SALINA, Kan. - The closing rally of President Donald Trump's 2026 midterm campaign was taking shape at Salina Regional Airport on Sunday evening, with Kansas's Republican statewide slate working the crowd ahead of the president's scheduled 7 p.m. CT appearance, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal's live coverage of the event.
Trump reached Salina after ending his remarks in Dubuque, Iowa, around 5:37 p.m., having spoken for about two hours, the live file reported. He had framed the trip in a Sunday afternoon post: 'Heading to Iowa, and then, so importantly, Kansas (Will be my last stop!), to make sure our Great Patriots get out and vote for truly incredible Candidates,' naming Sen. Roger Marshall and gubernatorial candidate Ty Masterson.
The Salina program began about 20 minutes early. House Speaker Dan Hawkins led the prayer, Rep. Pat Proctor led the pledge, and Attorney General Kris Kobach spoke before Masterson, the Senate president running for governor, told the crowd, 'Freedom's only one generation away from extinction,' and urged Republicans to vote the full ticket. Marshall, facing Democrat Adam Hamilton, invoked the late Sen. Bob Dole: 'Every time I saw him, the last thing he would tell me is, Roger, remember where you're from.' Sen. Jerry Moran put the stakes plainly: 'This election is about control of the United States Senate.'
Democrats answered in real time. Chris Mann, the former police officer and prosecutor running against Kobach for attorney general, said in a statement after Kobach's speech that Kansans 'are ready to replace Kris Kobach as their Attorney General.' Hamilton and gubernatorial candidate Cindy Holscher had issued statements before the rally, Holscher citing $4 gas and hospital cuts and promising to work with anyone. The Capital-Journal noted the historical echo: Salina is Trump's last campaign stop of the cycle, as Wichita was President Gerald Ford's last stop on Nov. 2, 1974, when he campaigned for Dole in a similarly tight Senate race Dole won by 13,533 votes. The president's own remarks from Salina will file when he takes the stage.
