Early voting crosses forty million nationwide as midterm election campaigns enter final stretch

More than 42 million Americans cast early ballots as of Thursday afternoon, according to the University of Florida Election Lab. ## Campaign Stops and Cancellations President Trump canceled a planned Saturday rally in Salina, Kansas, which was to take place in a hangar at the Salina Regional Airport. Kasey Windhorst, Business and Communications Manager for the Salina Airport Authority, said the Republican National Committee informed them of the cancellation. Republican Sen. Roger Marshall said he was not sure why the president called off the event, though the president stated he is not traveling to Kansas because Marshall is doing very well in his race against Democrat Adam Hamilton. Instead, the president plans to hold a telerally, with a White House official stating he will connect with voters through more than 20 telerallies before Election Day. In South Carolina, the president urged supporters to pretend he is on the ballot and vote for Sen. Darline Graham, while also touting Alan Wilson, the Republican nominee for governor, and discussing the North Carolina Senate race involving Republican nominee Michael Whatley and Roy Cooper. ## Maine Senate Race Maine's Democratic Gov. Janet Mills posted on X that she voted for Troy Jackson and other Democrats on the ballot. Mills and Jackson had both dropped out ahead of the June 9 primary won by Graham Platner, who later withdrew after being accused of sexual assault, leading the state party to nominate Jackson at its July convention. An earlier debate moment where Jackson told five-term incumbent Sen. Susan Collins to "shut up" has featured in GOP attack ads. Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha noted that small debate moments can cause catastrophes, while Republican strategist Terry Sullivan stated that candidates try to avoid making a five percent mistake. Across the midterm cycle, 18 of 35 Senate races and 12 of the 36 gubernatorial races featured no debate. ## Early Voting Records Minneapolis officials reported that the city set an early voting record for a non-presidential election, accepting 52,661 ballots as of Wednesday evening, surpassing the previous record of 52,313 set in 2018. ## Context Early voting numbers and campaign stops offer an indicator of voter turnout and political strategy in the weeks leading up to midterm elections. Candidates often adjust travel schedules based on internal polling and the perceived safety of individual seats.