Only two out of 28 Republican candidates responded when contacted by Politico about attending President Donald Trump’s planned midterm convention in Dallas this September, exposing deep hesitation within the party about sharing a stage with the president during a critical election cycle.
Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Joe Gruters has branded the gathering “Trumpapalooza,” billing it as the Republican Party’s first midterm convention. Trump is scheduled to serve as the headline speaker. Yet the dismal response rate reveals the awkward calculus facing candidates trying to defend a slim congressional majority while distancing themselves from an increasingly unpopular president.
Trump’s polling has hit some of his lowest marks in months, dragged down by an unpopular war in Iran that has sent gasoline prices soaring to $5 per gallon. The conflict has intensified a cost-of-living squeeze felt by voters both at gas pumps and grocery stores, leaving many Republican contenders in swing districts reluctant to stand beside the president.
The Trump Show and Its Risks
Former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake said candidates in competitive statewide battles have no incentive to make the journey. He singled out Arizona gubernatorial nominee Andy Biggs, saying he couldn’t fathom why Biggs would want to align himself with Trump just as early voting gets underway.
A spokesperson for the Biggs campaign declined to confirm whether the candidate planned to attend, saying ahead of the July 21, 2026, primary — the contest Biggs ultimately carried — that the campaign “haven’t made any post-primary travel plans yet.” One Republican donor, speaking anonymously about internal discussions, suggested candidates stand to gain by keeping their distance from the president.
Flake warned that showing up in Dallas would cost candidates valuable time on the ground in their own districts while tying them to polarizing issues. He said Trump would likely spend the event rehashing 2020 election grievances and pushing conspiracy theories that don’t resonate with Arizona voters. Candidates want to talk about their own policy agendas or attack Democratic rivals, he said, goals that become unattainable when campaigning beside Trump in a different state. He characterized the convention as a one-man spectacle focused entirely on the president.
Biggs himself has a fraught history with Trump despite running with the president’s endorsement. The pair had a 2023 confrontation over Biggs’s decision not to back Kevin McCarthy for House Speaker. Trump threatened to pull future backing unless Biggs fell in line behind McCarthy, highlighting the transactional and sometimes strained relationships the president maintains even with endorsed allies.
A Convention Nobody Wants to Attend
Many Republicans in tight races are quietly weighing whether appearing at Trump’s convention could alienate the swing voters who decide close elections. That calculation helps account for the sparse interest in the Dallas event.
RNC officials dispute the idea that avoiding Trump is a winning tactic. One official said the party’s entire strategy hinges on the belief that the president still drives turnout and remains a genuine electoral asset. The official argued Republicans are not running away from Trump as some did in 2018, and that candidates are instead building tighter partnerships with the White House political operation.
The same official offered a sharp caveat: even candidates who skip the convention may ultimately need Trump’s help energizing the party base. Staying away in public doesn’t mean avoiding him entirely.
Trump’s influence in Republican primaries appears intact. A Newsweek tally as of early July showed he endorsed 14 primary victors and suffered just one defeat, a record that supports the RNC’s faith in his appeal to core voters.
Party Officials Push Back
Yet Trump himself has complicated the message. During a cabinet meeting in late May, dismissing the notion that Iran could simply wait out his administration until the elections, he declared, “I don’t care about the midterms.” The remark was directed at Tehran, but it landed poorly for a party he’s now urging to gather in Dallas — and it runs counter to Trump’s frequent statements suggesting Democratic control of Congress would lead to his impeachment. For candidates deciding whether to appear with him, a president who publicly dismisses November presents a challenging proposition.