By Niels Lesniewski, CQ-Roll Call
WASHINGTON — Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to rally the Republican faithful — and keep them from staying home in the midterms — arguing that polling is bad and the party of President Donald Trump can still defy political gravity.
“Even even some of our own candidates who are doing internal polling, even they have a hard time getting Republicans to respond to polls because Republicans don’t trust pollsters anymore,” Johnson, R-La., said on a podcast hosted by the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins. “And they can’t discern when they get a call who’s originating the call, and that is affecting the outcome of the polls.”
Johnson has been among the congressional leaders from both the Republican and Democratic parties on a campaign, fundraising and media blitz. His schedule included a visit to North Carolina last week.
“I’m traveling nonstop. Forty districts across 22 states this month alone. I’m going to the swing districts. I’m going to the places that the pollsters and the pundits say we’re going to lose,” Johnson said in an interview that aired Sunday on the Fox News Channel. “They are wrong. We have incredible turnout.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has been hitting the trail as well, including a visit to Toledo, Ohio, in support of Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who is in a tight race for reelection against Republican Derek Merrin.
Despite Ohio lawmakers redrawing Kaptur’s district to make it more friendly to Republicans, her race is rated as a Toss-up by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales.
“We are working hard across the country, continuing to make the case that we need dramatic change as opposed to the status quo,” Jeffries told The Associated Press on Sunday, “and that Democrats are going to be the only ones to fight to make this country affordable.”
House Democratic Whip Katherine M. Clark of Massachusetts — who’s in line to be majority leader if her party wins control of the House — will be continuing on the road as well. She is expected to be in Florida this week, including campaigning for Bale Dalton, a former NASA chief of staff and congressional staffer running in the open 7th District.
Clark’s visit could be a sign of where Democrats believe the map is trending just over two weeks out from Election Day. Inside Elections rates the open-seat race to replace GOP Rep. Cory Mills as Likely Republican.
But, as Gonzales wrote last week, House Republicans appear to have a problem with open seats.
Trump has full schedule
President Donald Trump heads to Kansas on Monday, where Republicans are trying to shore up support for Sen. Roger Marshall, the incumbent Republican facing an unexpectedly strong challenge from Democrat Adam Hamilton.
At least when it comes to the Senate, Trump’s travel schedule has him playing defense more than offense this week. He’s scheduled to make stops in North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, Florida, Georgia and Michigan.
Each of those states has a Senate seat on the ballot, but only in Georgia and Michigan are there Democratic incumbents.
Georgia has been seen as less competitive as of late, and Inside Elections rates the race between Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and Republican Rep. Mike Collins as Leans Democratic. The same rating applies to the open Senate contest in North Carolina, where Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper is facing former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley.
In the Michigan race, Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers is running against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. Inside Elections currently rates the race as Tilt Democratic.
Vice President JD Vance is also scheduled to be in North Carolina this week, along with stops in his home state of Ohio and in Nebraska.
©2026 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Visit cqrollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.