US President Donald Trump has announced a rare Republican Party convention midway through his second term, in an effort to bolster the party's position ahead of the midterm elections scheduled for next November.
Republicans hold a slim majority in Congress, and their leaders fear it will be difficult to mobilize voters without Trump on the ballot, especially since the ruling party typically loses seats in midterm elections. Trump hopes the convention will help change that.
The conference will be held in Dallas, Texas on September 9 and 10.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social: "We will use this event to showcase the great things we have done since 2024, and this will be a gathering like no other."
The choice of Dallas as the city of the state highlights the Senate race, in which Democratic candidate James Talarico faces Republican candidate Ken Paxton, the state's attorney general. Republican leaders fear that Paxton's scandal-ridden history could undermine his candidacy and turn a winnable race into a drain on the party's resources.
In contrast, the Democratic National Committee rejected the idea of hosting such a convention, fearing its exorbitant costs would strain the committee's already burdened finances. Democrats argued that the Republican convention would be an opportunity to link the party's candidates to Trump. The Republican National Committee had begun preparations for its convention earlier this year.
