Trump, Obama rally voters as midterm election looms

President Donald Trump is urging voters in Tennessee and Georgia to back Republicans in statewide races, warning that Democrats want to destroy the country with high taxes and illegal immigration as well as divisive politics.

As Trump headlined two rallies on the last Sunday before midterm elections, Democrats turned to former President Barack Obama for their closing argument.

Appearing in Gary, Indiana, and later in Chicago, Obama warned Democrats not to be distracted by lies and fear-mongering. In Gary, Obama rallied voters to support Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly.

Meanwhile, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he was pumping another $5 million in national advertising into the final two days before the midterm elections. He’s urging voters to support Democrats because of his concern about “the direction of our nation.”

Trump in Tennessee

Singer Lee Greenwood’s hit “God Bless the USA” has been a standard at President Donald Trump’s events ever since he announced his campaign for president.

For Trump’s rally Sunday night in Chattanooga, Tennessee, ahead of midterm elections, Greenwood appeared on stage to deliver the song in person.

Trump expressed surprise after Greenwood sang as the president took the stage, yet Greenwood’s participation had been in the news for hours before the evening rally. In fact, a Trump campaign statement earlier in the day noted that the president “will be pleased” to have Greenwood perform in person.

Trump told supporters: “I didn’t know Lee Greenwood would be here. That was a surprise.”

Arizona race

On Saturday in Tempe, Ariz., Republican Rep. Martha McSally wore a maroon-and-gold Arizona State University T-shirt and jeans as she belted out the national anthem at the school’s homecoming game.

Democrat Rep. Kyrsten Sinema wore a canary-yellow dress and 4-inch platform shoes with cactus applique as she presided over the coin toss.

But the crowd of 46,000 greeted both U.S. Senate candidates the same way: with a mix of cheers and boos.

It was a fitting kickoff to the final weekend before the 2018 midterms , a campaign that seemingly launched the day after Trump was elected president two years ago that is climaxing in the shadow of a bomb plot targeting Democratic leaders and the worst anti-Semitic shooting in U.S. history. Each side is doing everything it can to mobilize voters, warning of the dire consequences of failure.

Democrats are counting on wresting control of the House from Republicans and hoping for a longshot series of wins to take back the Senate as well. But Republicans are optimistic they can gain seats in a Senate map heavy on red states and haven’t given up on holding the House.

Neither side wanted to leave anything on the field in the final weekend. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent $650,000 in the final stretch on advertising on African-American radio stations to mobilize black voters.

Voters in both parties said they were paying attention.

“I’ve never been so sleepless, so restless as I have been” since Trump was elected, Sudi Farokhnia, a risk manager in Orange County, California, said before leaving a rally to volunteer for Democratic congressional candidate Katie Porter, who is challenging Republican Rep. Mimi Walters.