Story summary
Senate Majority Leader John Thune skipped his scheduled speech at the Republican Party's midterm convention in Texas, opting instead to attend a fundraiser for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. This was notable because Thune had initially supported incumbent Senator Cruz, but is now supporting Paxton.
In related news, First Lady Melania Trump will not be attending her husband's midterm convention in Dallas next week, a significant absence as President Donald Trump attempts to boost momentum for the party ahead of November's elections. At least 45 GOP lawmakers have also told Politico that they won't attend the convention.
The Republican National Committee has scheduled a packed two-day convention, with a total of 109 items and speakers across both nights. Vice President JD Vance will deliver the keynote address on Thursday, while Senator Ted Cruz will speak earlier in the day. The convention is seen as an opportunity for Republicans to rally their base and promote their candidates.
However, some Republicans have expressed concerns that the convention may not be effective in boosting enthusiasm for the party. Many lawmakers, including those facing tight races, are skipping the event or balking at demands that they pony up for access.
Meanwhile, Democrats are preparing a counterprogramming blitz to the GOP's midterm convention. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has announced plans to send four members of his Democratic caucus to Texas to engage with voters and highlight the party's agenda for 2026.
The Republican Party is also trying to win over Hispanic voters at the convention, with a focus on issues such as immigration and border security. However, the party's efforts may be hampered by President Trump's low approval ratings among Hispanic voters.
New York's delegation to the GOP midterm convention has been downgraded from prime seating in 2024 and 2016, with some members expressing surprise at the move. However, the state's Republican leaders are trying to spin the situation positively, with Rep. Mike Lawler set to be a featured speaker.
Written for “RNC Midterm Convention” on 2026-09-10,
grounded in this article and the 37 other(s) covering the same event.
President Donald Trump wants to make one thing clear: His name is not on the ballot in November, but his supporters need to vote like it is.
asserted
it → want → November
Republicans from across the country convened here Wednesday for their party’s first-ever midterm convention, an event designed to put Trump front and center in the closing stages of the midterm election cycle.
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Republicans → convene → cycle
“Pretend that I am on the ballot,” Trump said to loud cheers during his keynote address Wednesday night.
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Trump → pretend → address
“I’m on the ballot.
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I → ’m → ballot
Speakers mentioned his name 155 times, and Trump invoked his own name 16 times, bringing the total mentions to 171.
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Trump → mention → 171
The only other word mentioned more was variations of “America.”
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word → mention → America
Trump’s approval ratings are at an all-time low, and the party is worried about MAGA voters’ not turning out in large numbers — historically a problem for Republicans when Trump is not running.
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Trump → worry → Republicans
Trump tried to energize his base with a speech that was a hallmark of his presidential campaign — lengthy, winding and full of insults directed at his opponents.
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that → try → opponents
Trump leaned into the headwinds his party faces, walking the audience through the long-running political dynamic that the party that controls the White House generally struggles during midterms.
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that → lean → midterms
“The midterms are not supposed to be won by the sitting president,” he said.
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he → suppose → president
“We are going to change that.”
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We → go → that
Before Trump took the stage, however, the lower sections filled up, and there was noticeably more energy for his speech.
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sections → take → speech
The upper sections, however, remained largely empty.
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sections → remain → ?
Outside of persuading Republicans to vote during the midterms, much of Trump’s speech focused on issues that he regularly talks about at political rallies; he repeatedly mentioned closing the southern border, tax cuts and boosting domestic energy production.
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he → persuade → production
“I gave you the biggest tax decreases in the history of our country,” Trump said to loud cheers.
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Trump → give → cheers
“We will have American energy independence. ...
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We → have → independence
We will have energy dominance.”
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We → have → dominance
Trump also promised that his administration would hand out $5,000 dividend checks to Americans if Republicans hold on to Congress.
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Republicans → promise → Congress
“If Republicans win both the House and the Senate, because of our tremendous economic success, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States for $5,000,” he said, adding that the money would have to be spent in the U.S.
Trump did not specify where the money would come from or how he would enforce where it was spent.
Trump has floated similar proposals in the past that went unfulfilled.
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that → win → past
Shortly after he returned to office, Trump said the so-called Department of Government Efficiency — which was led by billionaire Elon Musk and created chaos and job losses in the federal government — would pass its savings on to the public.
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which → return → public
Those checks never materialized.
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checks → materialize → ?
He also floated giving Americans dividends from tariff revenue, which also has not happened.
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which → float → revenue
NBC News reached out to the White House about where the administration would get the roughly $1.35 trillion Trump’s idea would cost — or how the requirement to spend it in the U.S. would be enforced.
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requirement → reach → U.S.
The backdrop of the convention is an election cycle in which Republicans are trying to hold on to slim majorities in both the House and the Senate.
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Republicans → try → House
Democrats have been optimistic that they can retake the House, and the next Senate majority will run through a handful of key states that have been flooded with money from both parties.
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that → retake → parties
This week, a Trump-aligned super PAC spent nearly $50 million on ad buys in seven Senate races.
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PAC → align → races
The largest chunk, $14 million, went to back Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers, who is running in Michigan’s Senate race against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a young, progressive, Muslim candidate whom Republicans nationally have cast as a villain in their effort to paint Democratic candidates across the country as too far to the left.
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Republicans → go → left
“Mike Rogers, your candidate over there, is a wonderful man,” Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in his speech Wednesday night.
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who → chair → speech
“But he faces a dangerous, radical and weird Abdul El-Sayed.”
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he → face → Sayed
The comment drew the largest round of boos from the crowd in the early evening part of the event.
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comment → draw → event
The Trump-aligned super PAC ad buy also included $12 million in Ohio, where Republican Sen. Jon Husted is running against Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown.
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Husted → align → Brown
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said he thinks Republicans will hold the Senate but acknowledged that in states like Georgia, where Republican Rep. Mike Collins is trying to oust well-funded Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, the party faces some challenges.
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party → say → challenges
“Mike Collins doesn’t have as much money, so it makes it harder,” Scott said.
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Scott → have → money
“It’s hard beating incumbents.”
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It → ’ → incumbents
Texas, the host state for the convention, also features a competitive race with scandal-plagued Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton running against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.
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Paxton → feature → Talarico
Trump called Paxton the “greatest” attorney general in Texas history and urged people to make sure he gets elected — but not before he joked about how Paxton talks and dresses.
“You may not like the way he looks, but in the history of Texas, he is the single greatest attorney general you have ever had,” Trump said.
uncertain
Trump → call → Texas
Trump also spent a chunk of time going after Talarico, claiming he is against eating meat — which Talarico has denied — and calling him “weird-looking.”
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Talarico → spend → him
Trump said roughly 35 seats in both the House and the Senate are considered tossups, and he pledged to hold events in all of those races.
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he → say → races
“The ones that are very close, they might be winning by a little or losing by a little or tied,” Trump said.
uncertain
Trump → win → little
“I am going to go to every one of those states.
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I → go → states
…and 28 more, not listed.
