Article snippet: WASHINGTON — President Trump’s rally in North Carolina will serve as a measure of his clout in trying to elect a Republican to the House in a closely watched special election that’s seen as a tossup race. It will be his first campaign rally since a tough end of summer that saw slipping poll numbers, warning signs of an economic slowdown and a running battle over hurricane forecasts. Trump will visit the state Monday night on the eve of the House election. He enjoys wide popularity within his own party, but a GOP defeat in a red-leaning state could, when combined with a wave of recent bad headlines, portend trouble for his reelection campaign. Before leaving Washington, Trump dismissed questions of whether a poor result for the Republican candidate would serve as a warning sign in next year’s elections. ‘‘No, I don’t see it as a bellwether,’’ Trump said. The rally may also pose a different sort of test: It will be held just over a 100 miles from the site of a Trump rally in July where ‘‘send her back’’ chants aimed at a Somali-born American congresswoman rattled the Republican Party and seemed to presage an ugly reelection campaign. Trump’s appearance Monday on behalf of Republican Dan Bishop is shaping up as a test of the president’s pull with voters. The special election could offer clues about the mindset of Republicans in the suburbs, whose flight from the party fueled the GOP’s 2018 House election losses. The House district flows eastward from the prosperous... Link to the full article to read more