Republican candidates in the nation’s most competitive districts are staying home instead of attending President Trump’s unprecedented midterm convention in Dallas this week, raising questions about the president’s political reach heading into critical November elections.
Majority of Battleground Candidates Absent
CBS News contacted 60 battleground gubernatorial, Senate, and House candidates about the Dallas event. Only four confirmed attendance, while five explicitly declined and 51 failed to respond. The Republican National Committee reports more than two dozen candidates will speak at the convention, but the absence of key battleground contenders reveals a strategic split within the party about aligning with Trump in swing districts.
Pennsylvania Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, running for reelection in a district Trump won by fewer than 300 votes in 2024, bluntly explained his decision to skip the event. “Our bosses are back home,” Fitzpatrick said. “Times are tough, and we need to be listening to everything they’re saying about the struggles that they’re encountering in their budgets and their kitchen table and their businesses, healthcare and act on it.”
Historic Midterm Strategy Divides Party
Neither major party has held a midterm convention since Democrats gathered in 1982. The Dallas event at American Airlines Center will feature Trump’s keynote address Wednesday, with Vice President Vance headlining Thursday. Cabinet secretaries including Attorney General Todd Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will fill the schedule. The arena already displays thousands of balloons in ceiling nets, signaling a rally-style finale rather than traditional party business.
Georgia Representative Andrew Clyde, representing a deep-red district, defended the convention’s purpose. “I think it’s going to highlight all the wins that we’ve provided for the American people,” Clyde said. Trump has encouraged supporters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” during these midterms, and RNC spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre confirmed the event aims “to drive turnout to the polls in November.”
Competitive District Representatives Choose Home Over Dallas
Gabe Evans, running in Colorado’s razor-tight 8th Congressional District north of Denver, told CBS Colorado he remains “focused on the constituents” and will stay in Washington voting or back in Colorado. Representative Maria Elvira Salazar, whose South Florida district has become increasingly competitive, took a similar stance. “I am going to be in my district,” Salazar stated. “No one votes for me in Washington or in Dallas. I have to be in Miami.” The divide illustrates how Republican candidates are calibrating their Trump association based on local political realities rather than national party pressure.