Trump and Vance headline a packed speaker roster for the first-ever GOP midterm convention in Dallas, with Senate battleground candidates and top administration officials taking the stage Sept. 9-10.
Republicans are assembling a powerhouse speaker roster for the first midterm convention in modern American history, set to take over Dallas next week. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance headline a lineup that includes top administration officials, congressional leaders and marquee Senate candidates from the battleground states that will decide control of the chamber in November.
The two-night gathering runs Sept. 9-10 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, with programming built around the party's legislative wins and a direct contrast with Democratic policies heading into the fall campaign.
The speaker list reads like a map of the 2026 Senate map. Republican candidates slated to address the convention include Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Michigan's Mike Rogers, North Carolina nominee Michael Whatley and Georgia Rep. Mike Collins. Trump carried all five of their states in 2024, and all five are considered competitive this fall.
Texas is well represented beyond Paxton. Sen. Ted Cruz is invited to speak, as is Gov. Greg Abbott, who has been narrowly edging his Democratic opponent in recent polling. Paxton's appearance comes as his campaign works to close a fundraising gap against Democrat James Talarico, with the convention offering a prime platform to fire up the grassroots.
The roster is stacked with figures from the Trump administration and the party's elected leadership. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Attorney General Todd Blanche, former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Donald Trump Jr. are all on the program.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso of Wyoming are scheduled to appear, giving the event a strong Capitol Hill presence. The convention is also drawing figures positioned at the center of the party's future, with several speakers viewed as potential 2028 contenders.
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters framed the convention as a showcase of what Republicans have delivered and what is at stake in November.
"Over two action-packed days, we will take Americans through the defining issues of our Party's agenda and what is at stake in November," Gruters said. "Each hour will have its own theme, its own message, and its own voices, building toward President Donald Trump's vision for the next chapter of American greatness."
The agenda runs each evening from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Central and covers the party's core priorities: middle-class tax cuts, mandatory voter ID through the SAVE America Act, border security, school choice, America First trade policy, and tax-free treatment for tips, overtime and Social Security. Organizers have also planned a 25th-anniversary observance of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks during the second night.
Trump is expected to appear on stage both evenings, with Vance delivering a keynote and the president closing out the convention with the second night's headline address. The event is a rare mid-cycle party gathering designed to rally activists, sharpen the message and build turnout ahead of Election Day.
With Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson - a Republican who leads the Republican Mayors Association - hosting in the largest U.S. city with a GOP mayor, the convention gives the party a friendly backdrop for its closing argument of the midterm season. As the speaker count grows toward a reported 109 programming items, Republicans are betting the Dallas showcase will carry momentum straight into November.
Trump and Vance headline a packed speaker roster for the first-ever GOP midterm convention in Dallas, with Senate battleground candidates and top administration officials taking the stage Sept. 9-10.
freedomlinedispatch.com
