Trump continues to target Senate Democrats in final GOP push

President Donald Trump on Friday will travel to Indiana and West Virginia, continuing his effort to push Republicans over the finish line in the 2018 mid-term elections and ensure that they keep control of the U.S. Senate, as the President will target Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), two of a series of Senate Democrats who face a stiff challenge on Election Day.

“Clare McCaskill has been saying nice things about me, but she will never vote with me,” President Trump told a Thursday night rally in Columbia, Missouri, as he targeted the Democratic incumbent from the Show Me State, who is locked in a difficult re-election fight with Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley.

In his final series of campaign rallies, the President is trying to do all he can to keep the pressure on a number of Democrats Senators, as he holds rallies on Saturday in Montana and Florida, then doubles back to Indiana and Missouri again on Monday.

But even as the President goes to West Virginia on Friday, the Washington Post reported that one outside GOP group, the Senate Leadership Fund, had decided to stop advertising in the Mountain State, as Democrats hope Sen. Joe Manchin can hang on, despite the repeated visits of President Trump.

“I trust the people of West Virginia,” Manchin said Thursday night in a debate with state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who will be on stage with President Trump during his latest visit.

While Manchin’s more moderate brand of politics sometimes gives Democrats heartburn, they will need Manchin to hold this seat – and a number of other Democrats to win their tight races – in order to have any chance of taking back the Senate on Tuesday.

Some political experts believe it is still possible, but it would take just about a perfect storm of results for it to happen, with Democrats holding all of their seats, and then winning a net of two GOP seats from Nevada, Arizona, Tennessee and Texas.

The President is not going back to either Nevada or Arizona, as there has been talk that another visit by Mr. Trump might not have been helpful to GOP candidates in those states.

Democrats remain encouraged by data showing early voting up dramatically in a number of states – and early voting up by younger people, who would be more likely to vote Democratic.

But Democrats need to basically draw an inside straight, leaving the Senate advantage to the GOP.

“I think we’re going to do very well in the election, I must tell you,” the President said to reporters on Thursday.

“I think we’re doing very well in the Senate,” the President added.

Now he’ll get to close the deal on that in the final days of this campaign.

WSBTV