Sixty Days Out, Swing-State Republicans Are Skipping Trump's First Midterm Convention
The party's first-ever midterm convention opens Wednesday in Dallas with a $25,000 price of admission for House members. Three of the most endangered Republicans in the country told Politico they will campaign at home instead.
The Republican Party will hold the first midterm convention in American history in Dallas on Wednesday and Thursday, and a striking number of the candidates it was designed to help are not going.
A Politico survey of more than 70 Republican candidates and party officials found that most did not plan to attend the two-day event, which President Donald Trump announced earlier this year as a way to energize the base before the November elections. Reps. Zach Nunn of Iowa, Tom Barrett of Michigan and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania — all running in races the Cook Political Report rates as toss-ups — each said this week they would not be there. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said he would spend the days meeting constituents. Rep. James Comer of Kentucky and Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida cited district commitments. Rep. Max Miller of Ohio and Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for governor of Wisconsin, are also staying away.
Cost is part of the calculation. House members are expected to contribute $25,000 each to attend, a sum that buys a candidate in a competitive seat several days of digital advertising or a week of field organizing at home. Several northeastern lawmakers told Politico they were skipping the gathering because of commitments tied to the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, which falls two days after the convention closes.
The absences land against a difficult backdrop for the party. Trump's approval rating has slid through the summer amid the six-month military confrontation with Iran and record diesel prices, and Republicans are defending narrow majorities in both chambers. Vice President JD Vance, who is scheduled to deliver a keynote address alongside Trump, offered a permission structure for the no-shows. "Sometimes it might be better if that guy's out there raising money," Vance said of members choosing the campaign trail over Dallas.
Plenty of the party's leadership is still going. Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are expected to attend, as are Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio, Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and former Rep. Mike Rogers, who is running for Senate in Michigan. First lady Melania Trump is not attending.
Texas Republicans defend the format. The state party chair told CBS News that Trump's presence would galvanize voters in a way no ordinary campaign event can, and that a nationally televised convention gives down-ballot candidates airtime they could never buy. Security preparations in downtown Dallas have been underway for weeks, with the Secret Service, the FBI and city officials coordinating a perimeter around the arena.
Whether the convention helps or hurts will not be clear until November 3. What is already clear is that a nontrivial share of the Republicans whose seats will decide control of Congress have concluded that two days in Dallas are worth less than two days at home.
Originally reported by The Hill.