RNC Wraps Up First-Ever Midterm Convention in Dallas

The Republican National Committee wrapped up its two-day midterm convention in Dallas Thursday. With no candidates to nominate and no platform to vote on, the event served as a rally for the GOP to motivate its base ahead of the November election, bringing thousands of Republicans together at the American Airlines Center for two days of speeches, political programming and campaign events.

For nearly 30,000 attendees, the convention was an opportunity to hear from a parade of Republican figures over the course of the two days. Among those delivering speeches were President Donald Trump, who spoke both nights, Vice President JD Vance, Donald Trump Jr., Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Gov. Greg Abbott, Senate candidate Ken Paxton, Sen. Dave McCormick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, House Speaker Mike Johnson and more than 100 additional speakers who took the stage during the convention.

The event cost more than $40 million to stage at the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas. The presence of media outlets from around the world also gave the RNC a substantial national platform, with the convention receiving extensive coverage across major television networks and news organizations throughout the two-day event.

Much of the political emphasis was placed on the Senate elections in Texas and Michigan, two races Republicans see as crucial to maintaining control of the Senate. Recent polling in Texas has shown Democrat James Talarico with an advantage over Republican Ken Paxton, including a July poll that put Talarico ahead by five points, while an August Emerson College poll found the race much closer at 47% for Paxton and 46% for Talarico.

Michigan’s Senate race is also highly competitive, with Democratic Socialist Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers running close to one another in recent polling. A Michigan State University survey released this month found El-Sayed leading Rogers 50% to 45%, while the current RealClearPolitics polling average has El-Sayed ahead by less than two points.

The GOP used the convention to take repeated jabs at the Democrats in both races. When Vice President JD Vance took the stage on the second night, he pointed to a recent incident in which El-Sayed questioned whether Vance’s grandfather would have approved of the Vice President’s interracial marriage. Vance responded directly to the comment, telling the crowd, “my Papaw was a far better man than Abdul El-Sayed.”

Vance also spoke about the economy, arguing that the country was turning around after the Biden years. “100% of the job growth is going to American citizens,” Vance told the crowd, “and that’s exactly where it belongs.”

The Vice President also found himself at the center of speculation about the Republican Party’s future. When the crowd began chanting for Vance to run for president in 2028, he laughed off the question and said, “we gotta take care of business this November and then we’ll worry about what comes next.”

President Trump remained the central figure throughout the convention, speaking on both nights and repeatedly framing the midterm election as a referendum on his presidency. On Wednesday night, Trump told supporters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot,” urging them to treat the November election as though they were voting directly on his record.

Trump also committed to holding rallies in 35 competitive congressional districts across the country as Republicans attempt to defend their majorities in the House and Senate. The president’s presence is expected to remain a central part of the Republican campaign strategy as the party moves into the final weeks before Election Day.

Trump closed the convention by doubling down on his promise to give every adult American a $5,000 “dividend” if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress. Trump said the money would be funded through tariff revenues and other sources, although the proposal would cost more than $1 trillion and would require congressional action to become reality.

Not everyone in the Republican Party attended the Dallas gathering. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were notably absent, while several Republicans from competitive states also chose to remain home, even as Johnson and other top congressional leaders appeared on stage.

The absences highlighted one of the unusual aspects of the first-ever Republican midterm convention. While the event was designed to showcase Republican candidates and the party’s national leadership, Trump’s overwhelming presence made the gathering as much a demonstration of his continued influence over the Republican Party as it was a traditional midterm campaign event.

With the convention now concluded, Republicans have less than two months to turn the energy of the Dallas gathering into votes. The party enters the final stretch of the 2026 campaign with control of both chambers of Congress at stake, giving the convention’s central message a straightforward purpose: Republicans want voters to show up in November and keep the party in power.