GOP Plans First-Ever Midterm Convention in Dallas
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- The GOP will hold its first-ever midterm convention Sept. 9-10 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, with JD Vance speaking Sept. 9 and Trump speaking Sept. 10, per convention organizers
- Convention operatives spent months compiling footage of progressive figures including Hasan Piker and Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico to paint Democrats as outside the mainstream, focusing particularly on Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who backs Medicare for All and criticizes Israel
- Trump has blasted El-Sayed, a Muslim, as a 'communist' and 'man of hate' who 'hates Israel'; El-Sayed, an epidemiologist, has said he is a capitalist who disagrees with Israel's actions in Gaza but not 'sisters and brothers of the Jewish faith'
- The strategy responds to Trump's approval rating in the 30s and the unpopular Iran war weighing on the economy, with organizers explicitly telling Axios they don't want the Nov. 3 midterms to be 'just a referendum on his presidency'
- A CNN poll out last week found 73% thought Trump wasn't paying enough attention to key domestic issues and 65% said his policies were worsening economic conditions, underscoring the domestic vulnerabilities the convention must counter
- The convention will spotlight Trump's tax exemption for some tipped income, Vance's 'anti-fraud' task force, RFK Jr.'s MAHA movement, and will commemorate the first anniversary of Charlie Kirk's assassination
- Democrats decided against holding a midterm convention, with DNC spokesperson Kendall Witmer telling Axios Republicans are hosting 'a multimillion-dollar celebration to satisfy Donald Trump's massive ego and tie vulnerable Republican candidates closer to his failed agenda'
Why it matters: With Trump's approval in the 30s and 65% saying his policies are worsening the economy, the GOP is gambling that a sustained assault on progressive Democrats can redirect midterm attention from domestic policy failures and an unpopular war in Iran. Unlike 2024, when donors and delegates filled the floor, the Dallas crowd will be mostly MAGA activists—signaling the party now needs enthusiasm more than donor money to defend its congressional majority.
