Trump announces midterm convention for Republicans in Dallas in
September
[July 01, 2026]
By MEG KINNARD
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Republicans will hold
their first-ever national convention ahead of November's midterm
elections, an unusual event aimed at boosting turnout in races that will
decide whether the party maintains control of Congress.
The convention will be held in Dallas on Sept. 9 and 10.
Although both major parties traditionally hold blockbuster conventions
during presidential campaigns, Trump has long floated the idea of a
similar gathering this year to focus voters' attention on a sprawling
collection of House and Senate races.
If Democrats regain control of either chamber, they will be empowered to
block Trump’s agenda and launch investigations into his administration
for the final two years of his term.
Republicans have only slim majorities in Congress, and the party in
power normally loses ground in the midterms. And without Trump on the
ballot, Republican leaders worry that it could be hard to galvanize
their voters.
Trump hopes the convention would help change that dynamic, and he’s been
talking about it since last year. He floated in a social media post that
Republicans would use the event “to show the great things we have done
since the Presidential Election of 2024.”
“We will also have lots of Great Entertainment — It will be a RALLY like
none other!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post announcing the
convention details.
The Democratic National Committee considered hosting a similar midterm
convention but ultimately rejected the idea. An expensive soiree could
have strained the DNC’s finances, which are struggling with lackluster
fundraising and millions in debt.
Democrats have said the GOP convention will be a chance for them to tie
Republican House and Senate candidates to Trump, whose approval rating
is underwater.
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President Donald Trump speaks before signing a presidential memo to
the EPA on pollution control in vehicles, in the Oval Office of the
White House, Monday, June 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP
Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Locating the convention in Texas places a spotlight on the state’s
Senate race, which pits Democratic nominee James Talarico against
Republican nominee Ken Paxton.
Paxton is the state attorney general who, with Trump’s backing,
defeated longtime Sen. John Cornyn in a primary earlier this year.
Republican Senate leaders fear that Paxton’s history of scandals —
including an extramarital affair, an impeachment and a securities
fraud case that did not lead to a conviction — could undermine his
candidacy and turn a winnable race into a drain on party resources.
It also highlights the aftereffects of Trump’s mid-decade
redistricting push that began in Texas, an effort to secure more
seats for Republicans in this fall’s elections.
The Republican National Committee began laying the groundwork
earlier this year, voting at its winter meeting in January to make
such an event possible by amending procedures centered around
quadrennial presidential nominating conventions.
Democrats considered holding a similar gathering ahead of the
midterms but tabled the idea. However, the party did hold such
conferences in the 1970s and 1980s.
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