Donald Trump said the Republican Party will hold its first-ever midterm convention in Dallas on Sept. 9 and 10, a move tied to the United States midterm election cycle. He posted the announcement Tuesday and said the event will celebrate the “great American comeback.”
The convention is set to gather hard-working Americans, innovators, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, first responders and job creators, according to Trump’s post on Truth Social. Republicans are trying to hold on to razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate in November, giving the Dallas event a direct electoral purpose.
Dallas and the Republican Party
Republicans started exploring the idea in March, and Dallas emerged as the city that would host it. Ken Paxton said Dallas would host the event during a tele-town hall earlier this month, after winning the Republican nomination in a runoff election in May.
Dave Brown, the general manager of the American Airlines Center, said National Republican Party representatives toured the arena in late February. He said the rental fee details for the American Airlines Center are, on average, about $125,000 per day. Dallas was reportedly the only city in Texas being considered, while Las Vegas was also in contention.
Ken Paxton and James Talarico for
Paxton’s role adds a local political layer to the convention planning. The latest poll from The Texas Politics Project shows an extremely close race between Ken Paxton and James Talarico for U.S. Senate, and recent polling has shown that the Texas Senate race is separated by single-digits.
That makes the Dallas convention part of a broader effort to build turnout in Texas ahead of November. Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at SMU, said parties typically do not hold national conventions during the midterm cycle, but he said Republicans may be trying to rally the troops and build momentum to increase Republican turnout in Texas this fall.
Truth Social and November
Trump used Truth Social to frame the event as a showcase for economic and civic workers. “At the event, we will have hard-working Americans, our great innovators, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, first responders, and job creators who are powering our nation’s Golden Age, and proving that America’s best days are still ahead of us.”
The open question is what specific agenda and speakers the Dallas midterm convention will feature on Sept. 9 and 10. For now, Trump has set the date, the city and the political target: a midterm convention built to help Republicans in Texas and beyond before November.
