Republicans begin two-day midterm convention
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DALLAS (AP) -- Republicans opened their highly unusual midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday afternoon, a “Trump-a-Palooza” that is putting the president at the center of this fall’s midterm elections -- whether the candidates running like it or not.
Many party members, including those facing tight races, are skipping the two-day affair, citing conflicting obligations or balking at demands that they pony up for access. Others are hoping an appearance alongside President Donald Trump will put them in the national spotlight as they work to turn out his voters without him on the ballot.
The convention, which is part rally and part fundraiser, comes as Republicans try to boost enthusiasm heading into the midterms’ final stretch despite Trump’s low approval ratings. Much of the programming will focus on Democrats, trying to cast them as extremists by highlighting the party’s insurgent left wing, while portraying Republicans as the party of “common sense.”
Coinciding with the gathering, Trump’s political operation, which has been sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars, began spending heavily through a new group, the No Going Back PAC Inc., The New York Times first reported Wednesday. The group has reserved $47 million in six competitive Senate races and one competitive House race.
That’s in addition to the $10 million that MAGA Inc., Trump’s super PAC, has spent on the Texas Senate race.
Normal political conventions are held every four years and serve a purpose beyond pomp and circumstance, with parties formally nominating their presidential picks. In 2024, Trump used the opportunity to announce JD Vance as his running mate.
The schedule this week released by organizers makes clear that the convention will be The Trump Show, through and through.
“It’s gonna be a Trump-a-Palooza,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters told Spectrum News.
Also addressing the convention will be members of the Republican congressional leadership and Cabinet members, including Attorney General Todd Blanche and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The president’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., is on the roster, too.
Candidates who will speak include Michigan Senate nominee Mike Rogers, who is running a high-profile race against Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, and North Carolina Senate nominee Michael Whatley, who is up against former Gov. Roy Cooper.
An Associated Press survey of more than four dozen Republican candidates found a majority either planned not to attend, said their plans were to be determined, or ignored requests for comment.
Some members balked at high attendance fees. Republican House members were being asked to pay $25,000 for convention tickets and lodging, according to people familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to speak frankly about the private arrangement.
An additional 2,000 tickets were distributed by the House GOP’s campaign arm, largely to donors and others to attend the convention. Other tickets were allocated to state parties to distribute as they saw fit.
“Per the RNC, this is a ticketed fundraiser and rally, not a traditional national convention,” the Denton County Republican Party in Texas wrote in a Facebook post, which advertised packages from $5,000 to $20,000.
More than 100 Republican House members and candidates are expected to attend, including almost all of the MAGA Majority class of candidates in the most targeted congressional districts, according to a person familiar with the event who requested anonymity before it begins.