Bush plans rallies in heartlands to halt election mauling

The Family Morals Party.

October 30, 2006

George Bush, sidelined from the fray in this election season, started a high energy tour of the Republican heartland at the weekend to rally party loyalists and try to beat back Democratic challenges as the mid-term campaign enters its final days.

With just over a week to go, the president begins a swing through Texas, Georgia, Nevada and Montana today, hoping to shore up Republican morale at a time when the party is in serious danger of losing control of Congress.

Mr Bush attended his first rally in Indiana on Saturday, rousing the faithful with a speech about tax cuts and gay marriage. Today he flies to Texas to campaign in the district dominated for a decade by Tom Delay, the former house majority leader forced to resign after a corruption scandal. Two years ago, Mr Delay carried his seat with 63% of the vote. Today, the Republican candidate, Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, is struggling.

The rallies mark a departure for Mr Bush in this election season, when he has largely confined his appearances to tightly controlled fundraisers, calculating that his low approval ratings could risk dragging down Republicans in tight races.

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