DALLAS (AP) — It's not just Republicans descending on Dallas for the midterm convention — Democrats are there too as they try to convince voters that the reality of Donald Trump's second presidency doesn't match the spectacle of his made-for-TV event.
“This bizarre Republican midterm convention here can’t paper over the fact that Republicans have done nothing to earn your vote,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender, said Wednesday morning.
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Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James Talarico talks with volunteers at a food drive at the Frederick Douglass Human Services and Justice Center, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at a Texas Democratic Party press conference ahead of the Republican National Convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Gabriela Passos)
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James Talarico speaks at a food drive at the Frederick Douglass Human Services and Justice Center, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James Talarico speaks at a food drive at the Frederick Douglass Human Services and Justice Center, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Trump organized the two-day gathering in an attempt to boost Republican enthusiasm despite his low approval ratings, economic concerns and dissatisfaction over the war with Iran. Democrats are trying to capitalize on voters’ frustration to retake control of Congress.
Besides Pritzker, several leading House Democrats were traveling to Dallas for events, as well. And Texas Democrats hope the spotlight on the state ends up benefiting their candidates.
James Talarico, a Texas state lawmaker who is running against state Attorney General Ken Paxton in a closely watched Senate race, held a food drive Wednesday at Friendship West Baptist Church in Dallas. He compared volunteers' work with Republicans' festivities.
“While we’re here serving our neighbors, billionaire megadonors and their puppet politicians are clinking their Champagne glasses,” Talarico said. “They are toasting to their own corruption. They are celebrating corrupt tariffs, billionaire tax breaks and a new forever war that are all driving up costs.”
Several Democrats on Wednesday mocked Trump's idea for a midterm convention, an unusual affair that, unlike presidential nominating conventions held every four years, does not involve official party business handled by delegates from across the country. Trump will be featured both nights and is also using it as an opportunity for fundraising.
Talarico smiled as he thought about wealthy Republicans spending thousands of dollars for a picture with Trump.
“If you want a picture with me,” he said, “it’s free.”
Texas Democratic chairman Kendall Scudder added, “Trump's trickle-up economics is taking money out of your pocket and giving it to the richest people in this country,” but he insisted that Democrats are determined to do more than criticize the president.
“This party has stood in modern history on the side of working-class people," he said. “We’re recapturing that narrative.”
Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic candidate challenging Gov. Greg Abbott, went to Dallas to visit a venue featuring thousands of volumes of files related to Jeffrey Epstein and met with those who have accused him of sexual abuse. Trump had resisted releasing the files.
“It’s really incredible that we live in a country where the justice system is so broken at every level that there has not been accountability of what we know was extensive sexual abuse, exploitation that happened for decades,” Hinojosa said. “And that powerful people who run this country are still living their lives without having been held to account.”
The Democratic members of Congress who traveled to Texas said their mission is not just to highlight Trump's shortcomings, but also to show voters what they would prioritize as a congressional majority.
“We want to ensure that people can actually live their lives, be able to work, have access to health care,” said Rep. Robert Garcia of California, “and the president’s more interested in sending bizarre, deranged social media posts and having his party in Dallas.”
Garcia is the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee and is in line to chair the panel should Democrats win the majority. That would put him at the forefront of the party's promised investigations of the Trump administration and the first family's business dealings.
The would-be chairman said those efforts are not a distraction but instead dovetail with Democrats' message on the economy.
“We just got to be very clear that this is the most corrupt administration in the history of the United States,” he said, “and as Donald Trump and and his family get infinitely richer, the average American continues to struggle and can barely afford to make ends meet.”
Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado added that Democrats, both while campaigning and then potentially as a House majority, can balance policies aimed at helping voters with a range of likely investigations.
“Do you do oversight and accountability or are you legislating other things?” he asked, immediately answering that a Democratic Congress must do both. “And that's actually not our decision. That is what the Constitution says the job is, right? ... And we don't get to decide not to do our job.”
Barrow reported from Atlanta.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James Talarico talks with volunteers at a food drive at the Frederick Douglass Human Services and Justice Center, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at a Texas Democratic Party press conference ahead of the Republican National Convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Gabriela Passos)
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James Talarico speaks at a food drive at the Frederick Douglass Human Services and Justice Center, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James Talarico speaks at a food drive at the Frederick Douglass Human Services and Justice Center, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
DALLAS (AP) — Republicans used the opening night of their unusual midterm convention on Wednesday to hammer Democrats as extremists and pledge unwavering devotion to President Donald Trump, proudly placing their party’s undisputed leader at the center of upcoming midterm elections — even if his low approval ratings might ultimately drag them down in November.
Many Republicans, including those facing tight races, are skipping the two-day affair in Dallas, while others hope their appearance will put them in the national spotlight as they work to turn out Trump's supporters in a year without him on the ballot.
The convention — part rally, part fundraiser — comes as Republicans try to boost enthusiasm heading into the final stretch before Election Day, despite voters' economic concerns and dissatisfaction with the war in Iran. Much of the agenda sought to cast Democrats as too left wing, describing them as communists, anti-American or even evil. Republicans called themselves a “common sense” alternative in the fight to maintain control of Congress.
The show got a boost from an unlikely source, Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who said in a video message that “I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism.” Fetterman, who has clashed with his party's leaders, referenced his state's steel industry in pledging to “work with President Trump to fight and defend the steel way of life."
Coinciding with the convention's opening night, Trump’s political operation, which has been sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars, began spending heavily through a new group, the No Going Back PAC Inc., The New York Times first reported Wednesday. The group has reserved $49 million in six competitive Senate races and one competitive House race.
That’s in addition to the $10 million that MAGA Inc., Trump's super PAC, has spent on the Texas Senate race.
Normal political conventions are held every four years and serve a purpose beyond pomp and circumstance, with parties formally nominating their presidential picks. This week's convention, by contrast, is The Trump Show, through and through.
“Do we love President Trump?” Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters, one of the first speakers, asked the crowd. He had promoted the event before it began as "a Trump-a-Palooza.”
The walls of the basketball arena, where the Dallas Mavericks play, were covered with photographs of Trump, even in the elevators. Plenty of attendees wore cowboy hats and boots, as well as “Make America Great Again” and American flag caps and other gear. Many waved signs reading “Republicans Are Fixing Democrats’ Mess,” despite Republicans controlling the U.S. House, Senate and presidency.
“Looks very big. Looks very exciting,” Trump said of the gathering crowd before boarding Air Force One to fly to Dallas.
That wasn't actually the case during the first hour of afternoon programming, when speeches were delivered to scores of empty seats, even in areas close to the stage. Crowds began filling them up well before Trump's speech, however.
The president also said that oil prices — which have surged because of the Iran war — likely won’t come down until after the midterms, a bit of economic forecasting that could darken his party's fortunes.
“Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward,” he promised. That came as oil prices jumped more than 3% Wednesday.
Trump speaks both nights, delivering a keynote address on Wednesday night and speaking again on Thursday, after Vice President JD Vance gives his own address.
“Look, he’s an entertainer, right? He obviously loves big, big events and his career has been built around that,” said Ray Washburne, co-chair of the Dallas host committee, at a pre-convention event hosted by Bloomberg News. “He’s always front and center.”
Washburne said the event is expected to draw roughly 30,000 people across both nights, but getting airtime could be challenging. The NFL season kicks off Wednesday with a game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. And on Thursday, the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams will be playing in Australia.
Speakers included Republican congressional leadership and Cabinet members like Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Attorney General Todd Blanche also spoke, which is uncommon for the nation's top law enforcement official, as Justice Department leaders don’t typically address such events given the agency’s tradition of political independence.
Blanche said Trump and Vance “put American families first. They prove that order and prosperity go hand in hand.”
North Carolina Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley, who is running against former Gov. Roy Cooper. GOP Michigan Senate nominee Mike Rogers, who is facing off against Abdul El-Sayed, isn’t giving his speech until Thursday night. However, many opening night speakers singled out El-Sayed as a sign Democrats were too radical.
There are 12 hours of programming over two nights, with 100-plus speakers and segments focused on subjects such as tax cuts, fraud allegations, border security and a proposed ban on members of Congress trading stocks. Missing from the public agenda: any mention of the unpopular Iran war.
Washburne said there were strong reasons for some lawmakers and candidates to pass on attending.
“One thing, we just have so many speaking slots. We can’t get them all in. The other is: If you’re not in a contested race, it really doesn’t make much sense to come," he said, adding that such candidates “need to be in their home states to campaign.”
Some Republicans balked at high attendance fees. Republican House members were being asked to pay $25,000 for convention tickets and lodging, according to people familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to speak frankly about the private arrangement.
An additional 2,000 tickets were distributed by the National Republican Congressional Committee, largely to donors and others to attend the convention. Other tickets were allocated to state parties to distribute as they saw fit.
“Per the RNC, this is a ticketed fundraiser and rally, not a traditional national convention,” the Denton County Republican Party in Texas wrote in a Facebook post, which advertised packages from $5,000 to $20,000.
Still, more than 100 Republican House members and candidates were expected to attend, including almost all of the MAGA Majority class of candidates in congressional districts that Democrats have most targeted, according to a person familiar with the event who requested anonymity before it begins.
“The fact that these Republicans are planning a celebration in the middle of an economic crisis — where everyday Americans are drowning because of this high cost of living — is extraordinary,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said at the U.S. Capitol last week.
Democrats have held such midterm conventions in the past but are not doing so this year. Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said she wasn’t worried that her party was missing an opportunity to make its case on a national stage like Republicans.
“They are not focused on the issues that people are struggling with right now, that they’ve created,” DelBene said. “Cost, housing, food, healthcare, childcare, energy costs, gas prices all going up. That’s what we’re talking about on the ground all across the country.”
Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Dallas, Steven Sloan, Aamer Madhani and Lisa Mascaro in Washington, Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa and Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia contributed to this report.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, joined by Montana's Attorney General Austin Knudsen, speaks at the Republican convention in Dallas, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, speaks at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Paul Perez, president of the National Border Patrol Council, speaks at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A person checks their phone at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Mike LiPetri, New York candidate for the U.S. House, flashes a thumbs up at the Republican convention in Dallas, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., U.S. Senate candidate, speaks at the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
People attend the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A person wears cowboy boots at the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen speak at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
People attend the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Ken Paxton, Texas senatorial candidate, speaks at the Republican convention in Dallas, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
People attend the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
People attend the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The stage is set at the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
People attend the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
People attend the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A video featuring Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., plays at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, speaks at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Mary Alice Hazen speaks at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Brandon Gill, candidate for the U.S House, speaks at the Republican convention in Dallas, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
People attend the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A Mercedes decorated with images of President Donald Trump is seen outside before the Republican convention Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is interviewed at the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
People arrive at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., stands with the Wyoming delegation at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Chairman Joe Gruters speaks at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
People arrive at the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A man wears a cowboy hat with a mock bill displaying President Donald Trump's portrait ahead of the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
People arrive at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Chairman Joe Gruters speaks at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Delegates stand as the national anthem is performed at the Republican convention in Dallas, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Delegates stand as the national anthem is performed at the Republican convention in Dallas, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Chairman Joe Gruters speaks at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Texas state Attorney General Ken Paxton, center, stand during the pledge of allegiance at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Heather Washburne, Dallas 2026 host committee co-chair, speaks at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., talks at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
speaks at the Republican convention in Dallas, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stands at the podium for a rehearsal before the Republican convention Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A likeness of President Donald Trump is seen in a car outside the arena before the Republican convention Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Workers continue to prepare the arena before the Republican convention Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stands at the podium for a rehearsal before the Republican convention Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Morristown Airport, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in Morristown, N.J. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
