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Why Some Key GOP Candidates Are Skipping Trump-Backed Midterm Convention

From CBS News · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • President Trump is promoting the Republican National Committee’s Dallas convention as a major rally celebrating his administration ahead of the November elections.
  • Several Republicans running in competitive races are skipping the event to campaign in their home districts or states as Trump faces falling approval ratings and criticism over the war in Iran.
  • Only four of 60 battleground candidates contacted by CBS News confirmed plans to attend, although more than 100 Republican candidates and elected officials are expected at the event.

President Trump has called the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas a “rally like never before.” Yet some of the Republicans with the most to lose in November are choosing not to attend.

Rally like never before

· Donald TrumpTrump’s description of the Republican National Committee’s Dallas midterm convention.

The two-day gathering comes as the party faces headwinds over the unpopular war in Iran and as Trump’s approval ratings continue to slide. Republican leaders and Trump allies are meeting at a downtown arena, while donor events and policy discussions focus on issues including domestic energy production. Supporters are paying five-figure sums for tickets through national fundraising committees.

For candidates in competitive races, however, the money and time may be better spent back home. CBS News contacted 60 battleground candidates for governor, Senate and House seats. Four confirmed they would attend, five said they would not, and 51 did not respond. More than two dozen candidates are scheduled to speak, according to the RNC, while a source familiar with the event said more than 100 Republican candidates and elected officials are expected to attend.

Our bosses are back home

· Brian FitzpatrickThe Republican congressman explained why he would skip the convention and focus on voters in his Pennsylvania district.

“Our bosses are back home,” said Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who is seeking reelection in a Pennsylvania district Trump won by fewer than 300 votes in 2024. Fitzpatrick said candidates should listen to voters’ concerns about household budgets, businesses and health care rather than attend “some convention center holding signs up.”

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. That's the way the system's supposed to work … not going to some convention center holding signs up.

· Brian FitzpatrickFitzpatrick argued that competitive candidates should campaign among voters rather than attend the convention.

The event is an unusual midterm gathering. Neither party has held an off-year convention since Democrats met in 1982. In Dallas, the production is expected to resemble an extended Trump rally more than a traditional convention, with balloons already suspended above the arena for Thursday’s finale. In districts where Trump remains popular, the convention offers candidates a chance to tap his ability to mobilize the Republican base. For others, staying in their districts appears to take priority.

I think it's going to highlight all the wins that we've provided for the American people

· Andrew ClydeThe Republican representative described the convention’s purpose for the party.
About this summary

Originally published by CBS News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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