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This year, Republicans are attempting the impossible — not once, but twice.
At President Donald Trump’s request, the Republican National Committee (RNC) will host a “midterm convention,” the first of its kind, roughly 60 days before the 2026 midterm elections in Dallas.
History says the party in power loses the midterms. But state GOP officials believe the unconventional convention could unify the party and help Republicans hold the majorities they need to enact the president’s agenda.
“In terms of a midterm convention, this is a fantastic idea, because if we are going to defy history and keep the House and obviously keep the Senate, then we need to do something a little bit different,” D.C. Republican Party Chairman Patrick Marra told the Daily Caller.
Trump’s Republican Party is full of low-propensity voters. In 2024, they were the key to his victory. Those voters show up when the president is on the ballot, and Republicans know it. The problem with 2026 is that Trump isn’t on the ballot. (RELATED: Why On-And-Off Voters Who Backed Trump May Be GOP’s Midterm Silver Bullet)
“The communist/socialist candidates are winning in low turnout elections, and so this convention is a good opportunity for President Trump and the Republican Party to tout the long list of major wins on behalf of the American people,” Ted Goodman, director of communications for the Michigan GOP told the Caller, adding that he felt the legacy media has suppressed Trump’s accomplishments in his second term.
Democratic socialists have racked up wins across the country in recent months, many of them backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the most prominent figure in the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). DSA candidates typically support universal healthcare, abolishing cash bail and mandatory minimum sentences, free college for all, and universal rent control.
These candidates have also frequently been backed by young voters in densely populated, higher-income areas, according to precinct data. Young voters were another key demographic during Trump’s 2024 presidential win.
Heading into the convention, party officials are less alarmed by this trend amongst Democrats, and instead hope to use it as the GOP’s central message. They believe that they can still steer Republicans to victory by drawing a contrast with the extremists now steering the Democratic Party.
“[It is a great idea for] Republicans to come together from around the country and share ideas and put our message together in front of the American people, and particularly this cycle. I think it’s so important to draw a contrast with where today’s Democratic Party is,” David Laska, the communications director for the New York State Republican Party, told the Caller.
That unified rallying cry is still a work in progress. The last few months have been tumultuous for the administration. Since the president launched strikes on Iran, the White House has struggled to explain the conflict to the American people. Gas and oil prices have risen as a result of the war. On the Hill, things aren’t much better: the SAVE America Act continues to stall, while debate drags on over nuking the filibuster and renewing FISA Section 702.
State officials recognize the party’s momentum needs a jumpstart.
“As a party chair, I work very closely and have to deal with the base all the time… one of the challenges I found lately among Republican activists is that there’s a disproportionate amount of focus on what hasn’t happened and an insufficient focus on what has… we haven’t had really an appreciation for how much the administration has accomplished,” Virginia Republican Party Chairman Jeff Ryer told the Caller.
In the first half of Trump’s second term in office, his administration fixed the border crisis, followed through on key promises to keep men out of women’s sports, and pushed through the president’s signature legislation, the Big, Beautiful Bill, also known as the Working Families Cut Tax Act.
Several sources previously told the Caller that Trump is expected to hit the campaign trail as the midterms get closer, but in the meantime, his vice president and cabinet have fanned the country, making the pitch on the GOP’s behalf.
The president’s surrogates have been deployed to nearly a dozen key states and districts where Republicans need to win in 2026, including Texas, New York and Michigan.
Vance, for his part, has partly zeroed in on the administration’s work to combat fraud as a key 2026 midterm message.
“There’s a realization that he’s a younger face who articulates domestic issues in a way that resonates and complements the president’s style,” one source close to the administration previously told the Caller of Vance’s star power on the campaign trail.
RNC National Press Secretary Natalie Baldassarre told the Caller that the convention will play on Democrats’ drift further to the left, as well as key elements of the president’s “America First agenda,” such as “lower drug prices, lower taxes and a secure border.”
“Democrats have no clear message and are grasping at straws to reclaim their identity from the extreme socialist weirdos who’ve hijacked their party. Republicans are united by the common goal of electing strong leaders, and this convention will provide the momentum needed to expand our majorities in November.”
