Republicans are expected to gather in Texas this fall for a rare midterm national convention, creating a national stage for President Donald Trump and GOP leaders to make their case to voters ahead of the 2026 elections.
The event, reportedly scheduled for September in Dallas, was all but confirmed this week when Attorney General Ken Paxton referenced the gathering during a teletown hall discussion on whether Trump would campaign in Texas on his behalf.
“I know that we are having the midterm convention in Dallas in September,” said Paxton, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate.
The Republican National Committee has not yet formally announced the event, but party officials have been publicly discussing plans for a midterm convention for months.
Trump first floated the idea last year. More recently, RNC Chairman Joe Gruters indicated preparations were moving forward.
“There’s a very short window of doing it after the last primary ballots have been cast and before the general election,” Gruters said in May. “But yes, we’re very much moving forward with it.”
In January, the Republican National Committee amended its bylaws to allow for a midterm convention.
National party conventions are typically held every four years during presidential election cycles, where delegates from across the country gather to adopt a platform and formally nominate presidential and vice presidential candidates.
The Dallas gathering would focus largely on speeches and messaging rather than formal party business.
Sources familiar with the planning say organizers intend to use the event to highlight the Trump administration’s accomplishments and contrast them with Democrat policies ahead of the November elections.
Though Trump himself will not be on the ballot in November, party officials hope to make the midterm elections a referendum on his record in office and energize the coalition that propelled him back to the White House in 2024.
An official announcement is expected in the coming weeks and could come from Trump himself.
The convention would also place a national political spotlight on Texas as the state prepares for one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races. Paxton is set to face Democrat James Talarico in a contest expected to attract significant national attention and spending from both parties.
While unusual in modern politics, midterm conventions are not without precedent. Democrats held a series of midterm national conventions during the 1970s and 1980s, using the gatherings to rally supporters and shape the party’s message heading into congressional elections.
