Trump cancels rallies in Iowa and Kansas in shift of Republican strategy – live

Key events4m agoTrump cancels in-person campaigning for midterms to focus on tele-ralliesTrump cancels in-person campaigning for midterms to focus on tele-ralliesHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Donald Trump has cancelled weekend rallies in Iowa and Kansas, instead opting to support Republican candidates with tele-rallies as midterm campaigning reaches its final days ahead of the midterms.Trump was scheduled to hold in-person rallies on Saturday and Sunday but the Republican National Committee (RNC) announced that he would instead spend a “72-hour sprint” doing rallies by phone rather than in person.It is a move the RNC said would maximize Trump’s ability to speak to voters nationwide, adding that telerallies are planned for nearly 20 states and more may be announced.It marks an abrupt shift in Trump’s pledge to push through the final days of the campaign doing rally after rally to galvanize his supporters. As of Thursday, he had done 25 rallies during the month of October, falling short of a goal he had once placed north of 30.The president travelled to South Carolina yesterday for the second time in a month, a sign of Republican anxiety about Darline Graham’s ability to fend off a robust challenge from Democratic candidate Annie Andrews for a critical US Senate seat.Voters in South Carolina have not sent a Democrat to the Senate in nearly three decades. But Andrews, a pediatrician who previously ran unsuccessfully for Congress , is urging voters seeking change to “try something new for once.”Beyond South Carolina, Republicans are entering the final days of this year’s midterm elections navigating tight contests in Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Iowa and Alaska. Both parties are also closely following developments in the Mississippi Senate race, AP reported.Trump lashed out at a Reuters reporter who asked him why he cancelled the planned appearance at a rally in Kansas on Saturday in support of a embattled Republican senator, Dr Roger Marshall. “You’re sick to ask that question,” the president said.In other developments: Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican nominee for Ohio governor, confirmed on Thursday that his campaign is no longer airing an attack ad that features the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Dr Amy Acton. Donald Trump called again for Democrat Mary Peltola to be criminally prosecuted and disqualified from the Alaska Senate race for her campaign allegedly recruiting a man named Dan Sullivan to run against Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed will campaign on Sunday in Detroit with Haley Stevens, the congresswoman he narrowly defeated to win the Democratic party’s nomination in August. Tom Hoyle, who achieved instant viral fame on Thursday by comparing Trump supporters to a cult in a live interview with Fox News before the president’s rally in South Carolina, was removed from the venue by three Secret Service agents.