Live updates: Trump, Vance head to reliably red states to engage GOP base

With eight days to go before the midterms, President Trump will head to one of the most reliably red states — Mississippi — to campaign for Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, as Democrats see a sliver of optimism in the state.

The Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC recently announced it will spend $1.2 million on a television ad touting Democrat Scott Colom, who is challenging the incumbent.

Vice President Vance will travel Monday to Montana and Kansas in another effort to turn out the base in states where GOP opponents are facing tough races.

The Trump administration is fighting legal challenges to its efforts to clamp down on election procedures.

During a rare Sunday hearing , a federal appeals court appeared unlikely to immediately grant the administration’s request to segregate 20,000 California ballots that the Justice Department says were cast by likely noncitizens.

“I don’t see how we have jurisdiction,” U.S. Circuit Judge Mark Bennett said.

Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday defended a Justice Department lawsuit aiming to block the certification of the Senate election in Alaska if the incumbent loses his reelection bid.

Blanche contended Trump doesn’t consider Alaska’s Senate race to be a fair contest because of the controversial appearance on the ballot of a candidate with the same name as incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R), which he argued could confuse voters and potentially cost Republicans the seat.