Trump announces Republican midterm convention in Dallas in September

By — Meg Kinnard, Associated Press Meg Kinnard, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-announces-republican-midterm-convention-in-dallas-in-september Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Trump announces Republican midterm convention in Dallas in September Politics Jun 30, 2026 6:46 PM EDT President Donald Trump has announced that Republicans will hold their first-ever national convention ahead of the midterm elections, an unusual event aimed at boosting turnout in races that will decide whether the party maintains control of Congress. READ MORE: U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, endorsed by Trump, wins the GOP primary for Senate in Louisiana 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. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. 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." 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. READ MORE: Ken Paxton's attorney in his impeachment trial endorses Democrat James Talarico in U.S. Senate race 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.