Republicans open first-ever midterm convention in Dallas with Trump headlining both nights
The Republican National Committee opened a two-night midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday, featuring 109 speakers including President Trump, who is scheduled to deliver the keynote address on Wednesday night and close the event on Thursday. Vice President JD Vance is also a keynote speaker. The gathering at the American Airlines Center is the first GOP midterm convention of its kind, requiring a change to party rules that previously limited conventions to presidential election years.
The Republican National Committee convened its first-ever midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday, with the program starting at 4 p.m. Eastern. President Trump — scheduled to speak in primetime on both nights — organized the event, which Republican leaders described as an effort to energize the party's base with fewer than two months until Election Day. RNC Chair Joe Gruters, who has used the term "Trumpapalooza" to promote the event, told Fox News that Republicans are "on the cusp of defying history," noting that the incumbent party has won midterms only four times in 150 years.
The 109-speaker lineup includes Cabinet members, congressional leaders, and candidates from competitive races. Attorney General Todd Blanche, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, and HUD Secretary Scott Turner are all scheduled to speak. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and NRSC Chair Tim Scott also have speaking slots. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is not listed as a speaker but is expected to attend and assist with fundraising for Senate candidates, according to Fox News and CNN.
Among the battleground candidates attending are House incumbents Mike Lawler (NY-17), Derrick Van Orden (WI-03), Monica De La Cruz (TX-15), Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), and Rob Bresnahan (PA-08), along with Senate candidates Jon Husted of Ohio, Ken Paxton of Texas, Mike Collins of Georgia, Mike Rogers of Michigan, and Michael Whatley of North Carolina. An NPR analysis using Cook Political Report race ratings found that fewer than half of Republican candidates in competitive House and Senate races are listed as speakers. Absent from the convention are House incumbents Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27), Tom Barrett (MI-07), Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), Zach Nunn (IA-03), and David Valadao (CA-22), along with Senate candidates Susan Collins of Maine, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Ashley Hinson of Iowa, and John E. Sununu of New Hampshire. CNN reported that the NRCC's requirement that House members pay at least $25,000 per ticket contributed to some absences; a source familiar with the NRCC said the price is lower than at past conventions and that all available tickets — over 2,700 — were distributed.