WATCH LIVE: Vance speaks at a Republican rally in Florida

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are traveling to heavily Republican territory on Thursday, trying to energize party loyalists ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms that will determine control of Congress. Trump opens what he calls a 32-day blitz in Texas and Oklahoma, while Vance appears in Florida alongside Rep. Byron Donalds, the GOP candidate for governor. Contests that Republicans once expected to win easily have grown tougher, according to PBS NewsHour.

Gloom is spreading among Republicans as the unpopular war in Iran continues. An AP-NORC survey found that only 17% of adults approve of Trump's performance on living costs, and 26% approve of his economic record, a new low. Trump says the party merely has a messaging problem: "nobody's selling it." A person familiar with party strategy said officials will keep him away from places where he might hurt candidates.

Trump will tour a truck factory in Denton, Texas, where Republicans are funneling money toward Attorney General Ken Paxton's Senate race against Democrat James Talarico. He heads to the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma to back Mike Mazzei, who faces Cyndi Munson for governor. Democratic groups say Republicans are panicking.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →