Washington — President Biden and former President Donald Trump were back on the campaign trail Sunday stumping for candidates from their respective parties with the midterm election cycle coming to a close.
Mr. Biden headed Westchester County, New York, to campaign for Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is trying to fend off a challenge from Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin, while Trump was in Miami for a rally in support of Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who is running for reelection against Democrat Rep. Val Demings.
Also appearing on the campaign trail Sunday was first lady Dr. Jill Biden, who was in Houston to gin up support for Democrats up and down the ballot in Texas.
Political heavyweights from both parties have criss-crossed the country in the closing days of the midterm elections, for which nearly 39 million Americans in 47 states have already cast their votes. In addition to campaigning in New York, Mr. Biden headed to Philadelphia on Saturday to reunite with former President Barack Obama for an event in support of Democrats John Fetterman, who is running for the Senate, and Josh Shapiro, running for governor.
Trump also headed to Pennsylvania on Saturday to stump for Republican candidates Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is challenging Fetterman for the Senate seat, and Doug Mastriano, Shapiro’s opponent.
At Saturday’s rally in GOP stronghold Latrobe in western Pennsylvania, Trump mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican rising star who is seen as a possible 2024 presidential candidate, calling him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” DeSantis, who is also up for reelection, held events in three Florida counties — Hillsborough, Sarasota and Lee — far away from Trump’s event in Miami.
In their closing arguments to voters, Mr. Biden and Obama have warned that their fundamental rights are on the ballot Tuesday, and predicted that a Republican-controlled Congress would make it difficult for Mr. Biden to implement his policy priorities during the second half of his first term. But Republicans have continued to paint their Democratic opponents as soft-on-crime and criticized Democrats for policies they say have led to high consumer prices.
A CBS News Battleground Tracker found that Republicans are poised to retake the House, while Senate control remains a toss-up.