WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Republican Party’s midterm convention in Texas kicked off Wednesday.
The two-day event is bringing Republican leaders, candidates and supporters to Dallas, with President Trump at the center of the party’s push toward November.
The rare national convention during a midterm election year will look a bit different than a typical national convention, held during Presidential Election cycles every four years, where each party officially nominates their presidential candidate.
“This is more just a pep rally,” said Dr. Todd Belt, professor and director of the Political Management Master’s Program at George Washington University. “They want to energize their base.”
Political analyst Dr. Todd Belt says the message Wednesday and Thursday evening will likely come directly from the top.
“Like all things Donald Trump, it’s going to be a lot about him. And it’s going to be a lot about how he’s made the country great again and how he needs you to elect Republicans to continue what he’s doing,” Belt said.
President Trump departed Washington just before 3 p.m. Wednesday to headline the opening night. According to White House press pool reports, and inflatable emergency slide was deployed from the Qatar-gifted Air Force One just before 2:30 p.m., slightly delaying the president’s departure from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
The lineup at the convention Wednesday and Thursday stretches from the Cabinet to the campaign trail, including Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers.
The November races will be front and center as Republicans try to maintain their Senate majority and mitigate headwinds for House Republicans. Dozens of Republican lawmakers and candidates, however, will not be attending the event in Dallas. Many of the absent members and candidates represent, or are seeking to represent, swing districts or states.
“Donald Trump showed a lot of power during the primary elections, but that was a different electorate. Those were his voters who were showing up. This time around, we’re looking at the general election and a lot of the independents are going to be the ones making the decision,” said Belt. “Whether or not these particular legislators think that Donald Trump’s endorsement is going to help or hurt them in the climate we’re in is really going to determine whether or not they run to the president or run away.”
On Wednesday, Texas Democrats and national party leaders held a press conference in the Lone Star State, bashing the GOP’s convention.
“Nothing Republicans say over the next two days is going to change how clinically deranged and out-of-touch the GOP has become,” said Gov. JB Pritzker, D-Ill.
