|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
by MARK POWELL
***
With the bang of a gavel and the words, “without objection, the 2024 Republican National Convention stands adjourned,” the GOP’s big four-day show wrapped up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin two summers ago. That’s usually how the quadrennial event concludes, with Republicans reassembling in four years’ time ahead of the next presidential election.
Emphasis on the word “usually…” because in the age of ‘the Donald,’ very little is “usual.” Even political conventions.
In a break with tradition, Donald Trump has summoned the Republican faithful to a two-day confab billed as the 2026 Republican Midterm Convention late this summer at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Delegates (or, more likely, simply “attendees”) will spend September 9 and 10 cheering lustily as the GOP rolls out its messaging for the November 3 midterm elections. Despite the name “convention,” the event won’t select a presidential nominee or adopt a party platform.
It will mostly be a high-profile media event designed to gin up votes for GOP candidates around the country.
If that sounds like a gimmick, that’s because it is. But while it’s a first for Republicans, Democrats tried the very same midterm big-name approach a generation earlier.
***
The 1974 Conference on Democratic Policy and Organization drew 2,000 delegates in Kansas City; the 1978 Democratic Midterm Conference attracted the party’s Who’s Who, including incumbent President Jimmy Carter; and 1982’s Democratic Midterm Conference in Philadelphia saw a cavalcade of would-be 1984 presidential hopefuls dropping by.
However, the practice died off after that last shindig, when the Democratic National Committee determined that putting on such extravagant shows was too costly and produced too few tangible results. Translation: Not enough bang for their buck.
Now Trump is taking the GOP into the same territory. Is it worth it in 2026? The answer depends on who you ask.
“This reeks of desperation,” a Republican strategist in Washington who spoke with us on condition of anonymity. “The folks at the White House can read polls just as well as the rest of us. Trump’s sagging approval is seriously dragging down Republicans all around the country.
Trump’s approval rating stands at 40.3%, per the latest aggregate data from RealClear Polling. Meanwhile, 57.1% disapprove – a gap of -16.8%, just shy of his nadir of -19%, reached on May 26 of this year.
“The White House is scared shitless, and with good reason. If Democrats regain control of the House, we’ll all spend 2027 mired in Impeachment 3.0. So, what is Trump’s answer? The former host of ‘The Apprentice’ is doing what he does best — he’s putting on a TV show. But that’s not going to be enough to prevent November from being a Republican slaughterhouse. This so-called ‘midterm convention’ is nothing more than a political cry for help.”
***
RELATED | CROSSROADS 2026: WINNERS AND LOSERS
***
Not so fast, say other Republicans.
“This is a brilliant maneuver,” a national pollster who spoke confidentially with us explained. “Trump simply bypasses the liberal news media, which are now openly in the tank for Democrats, and delivers the Republican message directly to the voters. That’s where Trump shines, by connecting one-on-one with everyday Americans. Why have your message filtered through people who are 100% certain to twist and dilute it? With this midterm convention, the GOP is guaranteed to reach the very people it needs to win over in November.”
Trump has promised “lots of great entertainment.” While there’s no word yet on which celebrities may attend, similar events in the past have featured a lineup of reliable conservative standbys such as Kid Rock, Lee Greenwood, and the late Hulk Hogan. Observers are expecting few deviations from such a lineup of has-beens this time around.
The midterm convention’s venue is especially telling because Texas Republican senatorial candidate state Attorney General Ken Paxton is locked in an intense struggle with his Democratic challenger state Rep. James Talarico. Studies have shown that hosting marquee political events, such as a traditional presidential nominating convention, can give a bump to that party’s candidates in the area where the event is held.
“It’s remarkable that the GOP has to pull out all the stops to prop up Paxton in a place like Texas, the strategist observed. “Such a thing was unimaginable a decade or two ago. But today’s climate is completely different. A tidal wave of refugees from California has washed up in the Lone Star State, and they brought their Democratic voting habits with them. No Republicans have to spend big money and fight in a state they automatically counted in their column until recently.”
One final question remains unanswered at this early juncture. “Will they drop balloons?” the pollster wondered aloud. “I mean, how can they call it a convention if they don’t drop balloons at the end?”
As the president who’s pushing the gathering is fond of saying, “stay tuned.”
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.
***
SOUND OFF…
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
