By Nathan Layne, Nandita Bose and Steve Holland
DALLAS, Sept 9 (Reuters) – Republicans kicked off their first-ever midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday, betting that President Donald Trump can energize core supporters and help the party hold onto its congressional majorities despite his unpopularity.
The two-day gathering underscores the extent to which Republicans are tethering their fortunes to Trump and serves as a showcase for their strategy ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
The event is so centered on the president that Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters has informally dubbed it “Trumpapalooza,” a nod to the popular Lollapalooza music festival.
Many Republicans in competitive House and Senate races skipped the convention, underscoring concerns within the party that Trump’s appeal to loyal supporters may not be enough to overcome broader voter dissatisfaction over inflation and the war on Iran.
About 30 minutes before the program was set to begin, a steady stream of guests moved through the 21,000-seat American Airlines Center, while hundreds more waited outside.
The stakes are high. With the elections less than two months away, Republicans face the prospect of losing control of at least one chamber of Congress, with public polling showing Democrats more motivated to vote.
“Republicans are delivering freedom, opportunity, security and common sense,” Gruters said from the stage as the program got under way. “Democrats are being overtaken by radical socialists, driving their party further and further from the values that make America great.”
With no official party business on the agenda, the gathering resembled a Trump campaign rally more than a traditional party convention, which is held every four years to nominate presidential and vice presidential candidates.
Trump will speak both nights, delivering the keynote address on Wednesday and then offering the last word after Vice President JD Vance speaks on Thursday evening. In his remarks, Gruters described Trump as the “greatest president” in U.S. history and the “greatest Republican messenger of our lifetime.”
RNC spokesman Rick Gorka said the party expects to fill the arena with officials, donors, activists and members of the public, after opening the gathering to the public through a free ticket lottery. Organizers took the unusual step as some party insiders privately worried attendance could fall short of expectations.
At least 16 candidates in competitive House and Senate races were scheduled to speak, according to the RNC’s schedule. Those staying away include Representative Tom Barrett of Michigan and Senator Susan Collins of Maine, both facing strong Democratic challengers this fall.
Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said some Republican candidates may fear the convention will be “more a celebration of Trump” than an effort to boost their chances.
“Trump has always cared more about ‘brand Trump’ than about the Republican Party,” Wilson said. “I think that’s why there’s some wariness from their standpoint about being a visible presence at this event.”
That critique echoes a broader complaint from Trump’s opponents, who say he has spent much of the summer burnishing his legacy through construction projects in Washington, rather than addressing Americans’ concerns about rising living costs.
A CHANCE TO RALLY THE BASE
The convention will face stiff competition for viewers with the start of the NFL season, with opening night coinciding with a Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks and Thursday’s program overlapping with a matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams.
Still, after months of negative headlines over the Iran war and inflation, many Republicans see the gathering as their best chance to promote candidates, draw contrasts with Democrats on affordability, immigration and healthcare, and energize a Republican electorate expressing less enthusiasm about voting than Democrats, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Trump cabinet members who will address the gathering include Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, whose comments are likely to be closely watched amid concerns about the growing U.S. debt and high cost of living.
One notable absence from the published list of speakers is Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who has publicly clashed with Trump over the Senate’s failure to advance the SAVE America Act, a voting restrictions bill championed by the president. Thune will be at the convention, however, and will meet with donors and candidates, a person familiar with the matter said.
According to the program outline, speakers will cast Democrats as too far left while touting Trump’s domestic record, including the administration’s efforts to restrict immigration and lower drug prices and a 2025 tax-and-spending package that eliminated taxes on tips and Social Security benefits.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is dispatching four Democratic lawmakers to Dallas as part of the party’s counter-programming effort.
“Americans are drowning in the failed Republican economy,” Jeffries said in a statement. “Rather than taking a single step to lower costs, MAGA extremists are partying with their super-rich donors in Dallas.”
By holding the event in Texas, Republicans are drawing attention to one of the midterms’ highest-profile races: the U.S. Senate contest between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic state Representative James Talarico. Paxton, a fiercely loyal Trump ally, was scheduled to speak on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Nathan Layne, Nandita Bose, Steve Holland and David Morgan; Editing by Ross Colvin and Howard Goller)
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