Trump announces first-ever Republican midterm convention in Dallas ahead of 2026 elections

President Trump has announced that Republicans will hold their first-ever national convention in Dallas ahead of the midterm elections. It’s an unusual event aimed at boosting turnout in races that will decide whether the party maintains control of Congress.

The convention will be held on Sept. 9 and 10 at the American Airlines Center. The last time the Republican Party held a convention in Dallas was 1984. 

Although both major parties traditionally hold blockbuster conventions during presidential campaigns, Mr. 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 Mr. 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 Mr. Trump on the ballot, Republican leaders worry that it could be hard to galvanize their voters.

Mr. 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.”

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 Mr. Trump’s backing, defeated longtime Sen. John Cornyn in a primary earlier this year. Republican Senate leaders fear 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 Mr. Trump’s mid-decade redistricting push that began in Texas, an effort to secure more seats for Republicans in this fall’s elections.

Tight Senate race between Paxton and Talarico

New polls show the Texas Senate race between Paxton and Talarico remains very tight with four months until the November midterm election.   

Mr. Trump and other Republican leaders, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, previously said they would campaign in Texas for Paxton. As previously reported, Paxton reportedly said during a recent tele-town hall that Republicans will hold a special midterm convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. 

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.