得克萨斯州拉伯克 — 周二晚，争夺参议院多数席位的道路穿过了西得克萨斯州广阔的平原，总统特朗普在此为共和党参议院候选人肯·帕克斯顿举行集会助选，而他的民主党对手詹姆斯·塔拉里科在仅3英里外举行活动。双方都在距离中期选举仅一周之际，进行最后冲刺以争取选民支持。
LUBBOCK, Texas — The road to a Senate majority ran through the wide open plains of West Texas on Tuesday night, where President Trump rallied in support of Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, and his Democratic opponent James Talarico held an event just 3 miles away. Both were making their final push to win voter support just one week out from the midterm elections.
数千人排队等候，只为一睹总统发表竞选演说，这是他当天在得州举行的第二场集会。不远处，塔拉里科的支持者也排成长龙，队伍蜿蜒穿过七个街区。
Thousands lined up for the chance to see the president deliver a stump speech, his second Texas rally of the day. Not far away, Talarico supporters thronged in a line that snaked back and forth through seven neighborhood blocks.
在拉伯克纪念市政中心，特朗普猛烈抨击塔拉里科。“那个家伙不配，他不代表你们的价值观，”特朗普说，并预测如果塔拉里科获胜：“你们将告别肉类，告别石油，任由数百万人涌过边境，你们的第二修正案权利将被摧毁。”
In the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, Trump took aim at Talarico.“The other guy doesn’t deserve it, he doesn’t represent your values,” said Trump, predicting that if Talarico won: “You go off meat, you go off oil, and you let millions and millions of people flow through the border and your second amendment will be destroyed.”
一个多小时后，在几英里外的另一场所，因容量限制数千人被拒之门外，塔拉里科登台并表示：“我知道今晚我们不是镇上唯一的‘演出’。”
More than an hour later, down the road, in a venue from which thousands were turned away because of capacity limitations, Talarico took the stage noting: “I know that we are not the only show in town tonight.”“We are running against the embodiment of this corrupt system,” Talarico said onstage, calling Paxton the most corrupt politician in Texas.
“我们正在对抗这个腐败体制的化身，”塔拉里科在台上说道，称帕克斯顿是得州最腐败的政客。他援引帕克斯顿净资产暴增及各种争议，并补充道：“这是这个破败体制核心的腐烂所在。这也是为什么这么多得克萨斯人无论多么努力都无法出人头地的原因。”
He cited Paxton’s jump in net worth and various controversies before adding: “This is the rot at the core of this broken system. It is why so many Texans can’t get ahead, no matter how hard they work.”
这两场对垒的集会凸显了得州参议院竞选的胶着程度，帕克斯顿和塔拉里科正在争夺共和党参议员约翰·科宁现任的席位。
The dueling rallies underscore just how tight the Senate race is in Texas, where Paxton and Talarico are battling for the seat held by Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
塔拉里科在民调中始终保持微弱领先，但巨额资金涌入这场竞选，根据AdImpact的数据，广告和竞选支出已超过5亿美元，有望成为历史上最昂贵的参议院竞选。
Talarico has consistently maintained a narrow lead in the polls, but massive amounts of money have poured into the race, which is on track to become the most expensive Senate contest in history, with advertising and campaign spending surpassing $500 million, according to AdImpact.
这也凸显了这样一场竞选：竞选名单上的首位民主党人在一个深红县吸引了大量人群，该县70%的选民在2024年支持了特朗普，而共和党候选人不得不努力动员他们的选民投票。
It also illustrated a race in which the ticket’s top Democrat is drawing huge crowds in a deeply red county where 70% of voters backed Trump in 2024, and GOP candidates are having to work hard to turn out their voters.
得克萨斯州三十年来未曾选出民主党人担任全州性职位，已成为共和党在中期选举中限制损失的核心战场。共和党今夏在达拉斯举行了史无前例的中期选举大会，这是特朗普近期在“孤星州”举行的第三场集会，据共和党全国委员会称，他可能在周二的中期选举前再次造访。他当天早些时候在科珀斯克里斯蒂举行了一场集会。
Texas, which hasn’t elected a Democrat to statewide office in three decades, has become ground zero for Republican efforts to limit losses in the midterm elections. Republicans held an unprecedented midterm election convention in Dallas this summer, and this was Trump’s third recent rally in the Lone Star state and he may return before Tuesday’s midterms, according to the Republican National Committee. He held a rally in Corpus Christi earlier in the day.
一些共和党人表示，总统应对这场本已竞争激烈的参议院竞选对共和党变得更加艰难负责，因为他背书了州检察长帕克斯顿，而非现任参议员科宁；帕克斯顿近年来陷入个人和政治丑闻。
Some Republicans say the president is to blame for making a competitive Senate race even harder for the GOP by endorsing Paxton, the state’s attorney general, who has faced personal and political scandals in recent years, over incumbent Cornyn.
特朗普对帕克斯顿的背书招致一些非“让美国再次伟大”派共和党人和全国性共和党团体的批评。本月初，特朗普表示，如果共和党失去参议院席位，他计划将责任归咎于科宁和拒绝支持帕克斯顿的共和党策略师卡尔·罗夫。
Trump’s endorsement of Paxton drew criticism from some non-MAGA Republicans and national GOP groups. Earlier this month Trump said he planned to blame a potential Republican Senate loss on Cornyn and GOP strategist Karl Rove, who have refused to support Paxton.
特朗普对帕克斯顿也并非总是有帮助。在集会上，特朗普曾抱怨帕克斯顿的外表和低调的演讲风格。
Trump hasn’t always been helpful to Paxton, either. At rallies, Trump has complained about his appearance and low-key speaking style.
周二，他对记者表示，认为帕克斯顿将会“表现得非常好”，但补充道：“你永远不知道，这是政治。”
On Tuesday he told reporters that he thinks Paxton will do “very well” but added, “You never know, it’s politics.”
37岁的长老会神学院学生、得克萨斯州众议员塔拉里科，通过将自己定位为一名能够赢得温和派和对帕克斯顿感到不适、或对特朗普抛弃科宁感到失望的共和党选民的民主党人，赢得了全国关注。
Talarico, a 37-year-old Presbyterian seminarian and member of the Texas House of Representatives, has captured national attention by positioning himself as a Democrat capable of winning over moderate and disaffected Republican voters who are uncomfortable with Paxton or disappointed by Trump’s abandonment of Cornyn.
塔拉里科有时难以与自己过去的言论划清界限。特朗普嘲讽地称他为“塔拉弗里科”，试图将他描绘成一名反对枪支和石油行业、支持为儿童进行性别转换手术的极左候选人。塔拉里科表示，他支持第二修正案和“常识性枪支安全法”，支持石油行业，并将支持禁止未成年人进行性别手术。
Talarico has at times struggled to distance himself from his previous statements. Trump, who derisively calls him “Talafreako,” has sought to portray him as a far-left candidate who opposes guns and the oil industry and supports gender-transition surgery for children. Talarico has said he supports the Second Amendment and “common sense gun safety laws,” supports the oil industry and would support a ban on gender surgery for minors.
塔拉里科集会的与会者，其中许多是附近得克萨斯理工大学的学生，在提到同城举行集会的特朗普、帕克斯顿，以及埃隆·马斯克为帕克斯顿注资数百万美元时，发出了嘘声。
Talarico rally attendees, many of them students from the nearby Texas Tech University, booed at the mentions of Trump across town, of Paxton and of the millions Elon Musk has poured into the race on his behalf.
19岁的大学二年级学生丹尼·莱亚尔正在参加她的第一场政治集会，随后将投出人生第一票。“我非常充满希望，因为从未有过如此‘蓝’的氛围，”她谈到政治气氛时说。“这其中一部分给了我们希望。”
Dani Leal, a 19-year-old university sophomore, was attending her first political rally before casting her first vote. “I’m very hopeful because it’s never been this blue before,” she said of the political mood. “Part of this gives us hope.”
在特朗普的集会上，几位与会者表示他们是来看自己最喜欢的总统，而有几位则表示想为帕克斯顿和其他得克萨斯州共和党候选人表示支持。
At Trump’s rally, several attendees said they were there to see their favorite president, while a couple said they wanted to show support for Paxton and other Texas Republican candidates.
正在参加第二次特朗普集会的当地市政工人特伦斯·普拉特表示，他确信西得克萨斯依然像以往一样“深红”，他说：“我们不会危及保守价值观。”但他有点担心帕克斯顿激发热情的能力，以及高昂的汽油和杂货价格对共和党选票的影响。
Terrence Pratt, a local municipal worker attending his second Trump rally, said he is confident that West Texas remains as deep red as ever, saying, “We’re not going to jeopardize conservative values.”But he is a bit worried about Paxton’s ability to generate enthusiasm and about high gas and grocery prices affecting Republican votes.
在早些时候科珀斯克里斯蒂的一个停留点，特朗普誓言要降低能源价格，自从他发动与伊朗的战争近八个月以来，能源价格已飙升。
At an earlier stop in Corpus Christi, Trump vowed to reduce energy prices that have surged since he launched the war with Iran nearly eight months ago.
特朗普指着一艘从委内瑞拉抵达的油轮，吹嘘与该国临时总统达成了一项能源协议，称这批原油将在得克萨斯州炼制，并扬言要让委内瑞拉成为第51个州。“汽油和柴油价格很快就会下降。对消费者来说，价格将大幅下跌，”特朗普说，这是他在集会上反复强调的一句话。
Pointing to an oil tanker arriving from Venezuela, Trump touted an energy deal with the country’s interim president, said the crude would be refined in Texas and floated making Venezuela a 51st state.“Gasoline and diesel prices will soon come down. They’ll come plummeting down for the consumer,” Trump said, a line he has repeated at his rallies.
得克萨斯州的行程是总统多州集会攻势的一部分。特朗普的顾问们表示，集会能吸引当地媒体关注，鼓舞特朗普的“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）基本盘前往投票，并对上周在得州启动的提前投票产生了积极影响。在提前投票的前七天里，超过420万得州选民投出了选票。
The Texas stops are part of the president’s multistate rally blitz. Trump’s advisers say the rallies garner local media attention, encourage Trump’s MAGA base to head to the polls and have made a positive impact on early voting, which started in Texas last week. More than 4.2 million Texans cast a ballot in the first seven days of early voting.
帕克斯顿和塔拉里科在提前投票的第二周穿梭全州。塔拉里科在一些青少年橄榄球场举办活动，作为以“周五夜之光”为主题的“清醒的眼睛，充实的心”巡回活动的一部分。（这部热门电视剧的口号以“绝不失败”结尾。）帕克斯顿的“来拿吧”巡回活动向1835年得克萨斯革命期间的冈萨雷斯战役致敬，计划在阿拉莫要塞结束行程。
Paxton and Talarico have been crisscrossing the state during its second week of early voting. Talarico has held some events on youth football fields as part of a Friday Night Lights-themed “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts” tour. (The popular television show’s slogan ends with “can’t lose.”) Paxton, whose “Come and Take It” tour pays homage to the 1835 Battle of Gonzales during the Texas Revolution, plans to end his tour at the Alamo.
桑尼·达什是一名特朗普周边商品销售商，已在至少250场总统集会上工作过，她说今晚生意不错，售出的商品包括镶钻特朗普夹克和特朗普发型橡皮鸭。
Sany Dash, a Trump merchandise seller who has worked at least 250 of the president’s rallies, said she was having one of her better nights selling items including bedazzled Trump jackets and Trump-haired rubber ducks.
达什高呼“买就送帕克斯顿徽章！”，但她表示，一些顾客并不领情。“这就是他来这里的原因，”她指着特朗普和帕克斯顿缺乏热度说道。“竞选不应该这么胶着。特朗普不得不亲自下来，因为他必须帮这个家伙一把。”
Dash was calling out “Free Paxton pin with every purchase!,” but some customers, she said, weren’t taking her up on the offer.“That’s why he’s here,” she said of Trump and the lack of Paxton enthusiasm. “The race should never be this close. Trump has had to come down here because he’s got to help this guy out.”
请致信伊丽莎白·芬德尔，邮箱：elizabeth.findell@wsj.com；以及梅里迪思·麦格劳，邮箱：Meridith.McGraw@WSJ.com。
Write to Elizabeth Findell at elizabeth.findell@wsj.com and Meridith McGraw at Meridith. McGraw@WSJ.com