ELECTION/RALLY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Donald Trump stumped in East Tennessee on Monday [10-1-18] night to headline a rally and fundraise for Rep. Marsha Blackburn. But his mission was broader: preventing the massive upset brewing in the state’s open Senate race. Just two years ago, Trump trounced Hillary Clinton in Tennessee, winning by 26 points. Today, Republicans are working to stave off what would be a disastrous defeat in the battle for the Senate seat left vacant by GOP Sen. Bob Corker’s retirement — a loss that could threaten the GOP’s razor-thin majority. They’re counting on the president to help drag Blackburn over the finish line…Yet Blackburn and state Republicans are leaning so hard on Trump that the pivotal Senate race might come down to a single question: How much Trump is too much?”
–Natasha Korecki and Christopher Cadelago, “GOP turns to Trump to rescue Tennessee Senate seat,” Politico, October 1, 2018 8:53 pm