The Republicans staying away from the ‘Trump-a-palooza’ convention
By David Wright, CNN
(CNN) — Republicans will gather in Dallas this week for a midterm convention that’s a version of the type normally held in presidential election years.
President Donald Trump, party leaders, and battleground candidates comprise the 109 planned speakers who are there to set their agenda and rally voters, with the post-Labor Day sprint to Election Day underway. The program starts at 4 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday and Thursday.
Here’s a look at some of the notable speakers and attendees.
The Republicans who will be there
The midterms convention features speaking slots for a series of 2026 candidates from safe red seats to the most competitive battleground races.
It’s a calculated risk for the battleground contenders, who could benefit from national exposure, presidential favor, and fundraising support, but risk alienating swing voters by appearing at what Republicans are calling a “Trump-a-palooza.”
Among those banking on the upside of attending are Reps. Mike Lawler (NY-17), Derrick Van Orden (WI-03), Monica De La Cruz (TX-15), Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07) and Rob Bresnahan (PA-08).
In addition, representing the Senate battlegrounds are five Republican candidates set for some of the most competitive, high-profile races of the fall – Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Georgia Rep. Mike Collins, former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers, and former RNC Chair Michael Whatley in North Carolina.
And speaking for the gubernatorial contingent are Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who is seeking an unprecedented fourth term, and Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, aiming to succeed outgoing Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“A lot of these races are going to be very, very tight as we’ve seen in midterm cycles past,” RNC national press secretary Natalie Baldassarre told CNN. “So, our goal is to remind voters who aren’t necessarily politically engaged all of the time that there is an election in November and it is critical for them to get out to vote.”
The Republicans not expected to attend
A handful of House members facing tough reelection campaigns are skipping the convention, including Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27), Tom Barrett (MI-07), Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), Rep. Zach Nunn (IA-03), and David Valadao (CA-22). Rep. Tom Tiffany, the GOP nominee for Wisconsin governor, won’t attend either.
And several of the party’s nominees in key Senate races are not speaking either. They include Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson, and former New Hampshire Sen. John E. Sununu, who represent the rest of the seriously contested map.
One GOP source said the decision by the National Republican Congressional Committee to ask House lawmakers to pay at least $25,000 a ticket contributed to turnout in Dallas.
“I do think it had an impact on member attendance for sure,” the GOP source said. “Obviously there are some members who are in tighter races who feel it’s probably more beneficial to be on the campaign trail.”
A source familiar with the NRCC said the $25,000 price tag is lower than past conventions and is standard for committees to do at conventions. The source added that the committee has distributed all available tickets, which amounts to over 2,700.
“House Republicans and our strong candidates in the most competitive battleground districts across the country are fired up to be in Dallas and take our message straight to voters and lay bare what’s at stake this November,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement to CNN.
Despite the expected absences from some candidates in key contests, Trump touted the convention on social media Tuesday night as “totally sold out.”
“Everybody wants to be there, but we’re really asking only those Candidates that are in tight Races, a little up, a little down, or even, to speak. We want to save the ‘stage’ for them,” the president said. “We don’t need people who are up 45 points, and have been in office for 30 years, as much as we love them all!
‘A RALLY like none other!’
The convention itself is the product of Trump’s love for pageantry and spectacle. To fulfill his wish of staging a political convention this year, Republican leaders had to change party rules that previously only called for a convention during presidential election years.
“It will be a RALLY like none other!” Trump posted on social media over the summer, announcing the plans.
The president is poised to dominate the event. Trump will serve as both the keynote speaker on Wednesday night and the closing speaker on Thursday.
Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, is slated for a prominent role as the keynote speaker on Thursday.
Several other administration leaders are also set to speak, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner.
Attorney General Todd Blanche is also speaking, a notable appearance at a partisan event despite the traditionally nonpartisan disposition of his role leading the Justice Department.
Finally, former press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Donald Trump Jr. round out the list of Trump representatives set to speak at the convention.
Party leaders who will attend
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who has sometimes kept Trump at arm’s length, is conspicuously absent from the list of GOP congressional leaders set to speak, though he’s expected to attend and told the New York Post that he would give others “a turn in the spotlight” and help with fundraising.
GOP House leadership including Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, and National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson all have speaking slots.
On the Senate side, Majority Whip John Barrasso and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott are also set to speak.
And attendees will hear from Gruters, the RNC chair, a pivotal organizer who spoke to the need to galvanize voters.
“I think we’re on the cusp of defying history. You know, only four times in 150 years the incumbent party has been able to win these midterms,” he told Fox News this week. “It’s really going to give us a chance to tell the story to the American people directly on the message of everything that the president has done well.”
A pair of Republican officeholders not on the ballot this year are also speaking at the convention. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is set to address the home-state crowd as well as Pennsylvania Sen. David McCormick.
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CNN’s Annie Grayer contributed to this report.
