Former President Barack Obama is announcing new campaign moves as President Donald Trump travels the country ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
With only three weeks until November 3, Democrats and Republicans are working to win over undecided voters while ramping up enthusiasm among their own base to try to win majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Polling has given Democrats an edge in the House, while control of the Senate is seen as a sharply competitive contest that could come down to only a handful of states.
Democrats are hopeful about the national environment, believing Trump’s low national approval rating and economic concerns centered on the cost of living could boost them in this year’s elections. Historically, the party in the White House loses seats in the midterms when the party is unpopular.
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But Republicans are hoping to strategically deploy Trump, who remains popular with Republicans despite his overall approval rating falling, to try to motivate turnout among the conservative base, as polling suggests their enthusiasm has lagged.
Natalie Baldassarre, the national press secretary for the Republican National Committee, told Newsweek the midterms are “all about turnout,” and that “there's no one who energizes and engages voters like President Donald J. Trump.”
“Republicans are thinking outside the box to fight the typical midterm precedent, and the president is barnstorming the country to tout his historic achievements and give candidates a boost to defy history in November - something Sleepy Joe could never do,” she said.
Newsweek also reached out to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for comment via email.
Where Is Donald Trump Campaigning?
Trump has held campaign rallies in nearly two dozen states so far this year, accounting for both the primaries and general election seasons. Many of his recent rallies have been in more conservative states like Nebraska, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
But he has also made appearances in important battleground states like Ohio and North Carolina, both of which have highly competitive Senate races.
The president has several rallies on his calendar for this week, including one in Youngstown, Ohio on Monday; Wasilla, Alaska on Tuesday; Bullhead City, Arizona and Kalispell, Montana on Wednesday; and Dalton, Georgia on Friday.
In September, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, was asked how Trump campaigning in Republican areas is “helpful” for the party.
“I think that the president and his team, as they look at the electoral map, are figuring out where they think he can make the biggest difference,” he said. “Obviously, all across the country, we need the president to turn out voters that are his voters.”
He said there are “a lot” of voters who may not be inclined to vote in the midterms, and that Trump rallying in red states could help turn them out.
Where Is Barack Obama Campaigning?
Obama has taken a more selective approach. While he has endorsed several candidates, he only has one rally on his agenda in Detroit, Michigan, to support Democrats Jocelyn Benson and Abdul El-Sayed in the gubernatorial and Senate races.
He is also appearing in advertisements for El-Sayed and Scott Colom, the Democratic candidate in the Mississippi Senate race.
He also made a surprise appearance with James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic candidates in Texas' Senate and governor's races, earlier this year.
Obama last week also attended a private fundraiser with Democrats, reported The Washington Post.
“There are states right now in play that I would not have imagined being in play,” he said during the event, the Post reported. “If you had told me, and — I know I’m the hope guy — but if you had told me that the polling currently shows James Talarico ahead of Ken Paxton ... I would have said, eh, I don’t think so.”
More campaign activity is expected to be announced for Obama. The Associated Press reported that he has taped at least two dozen advertisements for Democratic candidates that will be released, as well as more campaign stops.
What About Joe Biden?
Former President Joe Biden has made a handful of endorsements in the midterms but has not made any public plans to attend campaign events ahead of the midterms.
Democrats’ Chances of Flipping House in Midterms
In the House, Democrats only need to flip a handful of seats to win a congressional majority. Republicans hold 218 seats and Democrats hold 214 seats.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll from September 30 to October 5 had Democrats 7 points ahead of Republicans on the generic ballot, a key metric used to gauge where the race for House control stands.
Among 3,526 registered voters, 44 percent said they plan to vote for a Democratic candidate, while 37 percent plan to vote Republican. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.7 percentage points.
Democrats held an 11-point lead among 1,173 likely voters in a recent poll from YouGov and The Economist, 51 percent to 40 percent. Among 995 “strict” likely voters, Democrats were up 12 points, the October 2 to 5 poll found.
Democrats were favored in the battle to win the House on prediction markets, holding a 90 percent chance on Kalshi and a 91 percent on Polymarket.
Prediction markets allow traders to buy and sell contracts tied to political outcomes and current events, aggregating real‑money wagers into probability estimates.
Prices fluctuate as traders react to polling, fundraising, candidate developments and broader political trends. They measure trader sentiment at a given moment but do not always accurately predict the future.
Democrats’ Chances of Flipping Senate in Midterms
Democrats face a tougher path to flip the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority.
There are only two GOP-held seats up for grabs in traditionally competitive states—Maine, which Trump lost by nearly 7 points, and North Carolina, which he won by about 3 points.
Democrats must flip four seats to win a majority in the Senate, as Vice President JD Vance would serve as the tiebreaker in an evenly divided chamber. Given the Senate map, they must flip two seats in states Trump won by double digits in 2024 to win a majority, if they hold onto each of those seats.
Few Republican-held seats are up for grabs in traditionally competitive seats in this cycle. But polls suggest Democrats are competitive in double-digit Trump 2024 states like Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Texas.
Here is a look at where RealClearPolitics’ averages stood in key races as of Monday.
In prediction markets, Democrats had a 62 percent chance of winning the Senate on Kalshi and a 64 percent chance on Polymarket as of Monday afternoon.
What Happens Next
More campaign events involving the presidents could be announced in the coming days.
Candidates are making their final pitches to voters in key races as early voting is already underway in some states.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jenni Fink and Gray R. Thomas