Donald Trump cancels weekend rallies ahead of next week’s midterms

Polling trends show contests in Republican-leaning states tilting toward Democrats in the campaign’s final days, partly because of President Trump’s low ratings in opinion polls.

Republicans are fighting to retain Senate seats in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Texas, Ohio, North Carolina and Maine to maintain their six-seat Senate majority.

Polls show Democrats leading in each state, with independent analysts favouring the Democrats to retake control of the House, while Senate control is considered too close to call.

A Democratic victory could limit President Trump and trigger congressional investigations into his administration during its final two years.

Republicans are newly on the defensive in once-unthinkable territory, especially in South Carolina, where the state hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since Fritz Hollings, first elected in 1966, who served until 2005.