Republicans are growing anxious that President Donald Trump's first midterm convention, set for Dallas in two weeks, could turn into a costly flop rather than the voter turnout machine the party is counting on.
The two-day event, scheduled for Sept. 9-10 at the American Airlines Center, will feature Vice President JD Vance headlining the first night and Trump dominating the second, according to CNN. Organized by the Republican National Committee, the gathering — dubbed "Trumpapalooza" by critics — is meant to showcase the administration's accomplishments, energize the GOP base and cast Democrats as "socialists" ahead of November.
But the timing has alarmed Republican strategists and candidates alike. The convention collides directly with the first two nights of the NFL season, and GOP donors questioned the event's planning.
“I don’t understand the programming still," said one GOP donor. "It seems to just be five hours of speeches."
Those speeches are expected to paint Democrats as socialists” and highlight the party’s most progressive candidates, and GOP strategists said they believe those attacks will "help rev the base up, that focus on socialism.”
"It may," said Michigan GOP strategist Jason Roe, "for those people who don’t really understand why socialism sucks, give them some perspective on it.”
However, the dates also overlap with 9/11 commemorations and fall just weeks before Election Day, at a moment when many campaigns would rather have their candidates knocking doors at home than sitting in Dallas.
“I’ve heard people say, why are we doing this? What’s going on?” said Reb Wayne, a Texas-based Republican consultant. “It was a good idea at the time, but as we’ve gotten closer to it, I’m not sure it’s going to serve much benefit.”
House members face entrance fees of $25,000 or more, described as party fundraising, and at least one state party chair has already returned its allocated delegation seats after members cited conflicts with the start of the school year. Attendees are also bracing for what organizers concede will likely be sweltering Texas heat.
A Reuters survey of representatives for 45 competitive campaigns — 37 House races and eight Senate races — found only one, Michigan Rep. Tom Barrett, who had confirmed he would skip the event outright. Most campaigns, however, said they'd received no confirmation on whether their candidate would even get a speaking slot.
Some in the party question whether a Trump-centric spectacle will move the races that matter.
"I don't know that we're going to see a convention in Dallas change what happens in Cheyenne, Wyoming, or Charleston, South Carolina," South Carolina strategist Dave Wilson said.
Another strategist, granted anonymity, warned that binding vulnerable candidates too tightly to Trump — whose approval rating sits near 33 percent — could "undercut contenders trying to appeal to independents."