Republican organizers are giving away free tickets to fill a Dallas arena that seats about 21,000 people as the party’s first-ever midterm convention prepares to open on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, with several GOP lawmakers and candidates skipping the two-day gathering at the American Airlines Center.
The push to pack the building has included a public lottery offering free seats, with a select few winners promised VIP treatment and front-row spots; a briefing call with Republican operatives in which organizers said tickets remained available and urged them to distribute passes through their networks; and unsolicited text messages promoting free tickets and linking to the event’s registration page. It is the first time a Republican convention has sold tickets to the public, and organizers have said they expect roughly 20,000 attendees.
The Daily Beast has cast the absences as a humiliation for the president; a companion piece by Daily Beast reporter Sarah Ewall-Wice carried the headline “Trump Faces Midterm Humiliation Over Stay-Away Republicans.” A majority of Republicans in competitive House races had no plans to attend, and some would not say either way.
Who’s Skipping, Who’s Showing Up
Senate Majority Leader John Thune is reported to be skipping the event. Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Mike Rounds are staying on the campaign trail in their states. Other Republicans have cited scheduling conflicts, debates and other commitments. First Lady Melania Trump will not attend, The Washington Post reported.
Party leaders dispute the picture of a thinly attended convention. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said “a huge number” of Republican members of Congress and candidates plan to be in Dallas, and he is attending himself. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for Senate, and Sen. John Barrasso are also on the attendee list.
The $25,000 Ask
Cost has become its own storyline. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) — not the Republican National Committee (RNC) — is asking GOP lawmakers for $25,000 to attend with a guest. Texas Republican Beth Van Duyne, the NRCC’s campaign finance chair, has called the fee “an incentive” and said the money is directed to candidates in swing districts. Some reports have described a top tier of $100,000, a figure convention officials have not confirmed. The $25,000 price tag has irritated some Republicans, and candidates in tight races have been reluctant to give up campaign days for an event built around the president, whose approval ratings have reached record lows.
The convention doubles as a fundraising drive. Donors are being asked for $250,000 to join a roundtable with the president and $88,600 for a photograph with him. A comparable event with Vice President JD Vance is priced at $75,000, with photos at $35,000. Texas GOP ticket packages run up to $20,000 and include “honorary delegate” credentials, floor access, a Texas shirt and a cowboy hat.
A Lineup Built Around Trump
The RNC released its speaker list over the weekend of September 5 and 6, featuring 109 speakers and program items across the two days. President Donald Trump will deliver the keynote on the first night and close out the second night on Thursday, September 10; Vance will give the second night’s keynote. RNC Chairman Joe Gruters coined the nickname “Trump-a-palooza” for the gathering, which will include no nominations and no platform votes.
Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trump’s former personal attorney, also appears on the speaker list, and his slot has raised questions about whether taking part in a partisan political event would collide with the Hatch Act, the law that bars most executive branch employees from leveraging their jobs to sway elections.
The idea for a midterm convention came from Trump, who said it was a chance “to show the great things we have done.” Republican state party leaders have complained about when the convention is being held, what it costs and how it has been put together. Organizers counter that scheduling it after Labor Day gives them a better shot at reaching voters who tune in to politics only occasionally.
Democrats Counterprogram in Dallas
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has announced a four-member House delegation that will counterprogram the convention in Dallas. Holding the gathering in Texas is intended in part to lift Paxton, who is locked in a tight Senate contest with Democrat James Talarico in what has long been Republican territory. Trump is set to campaign for Paxton.
Comparisons to 2024 hang over the attendance question. The Milwaukee convention ran four days, drew an estimated 50,000 delegates, donors, journalists and visitors, and ended with Trump formally accepting the nomination and introducing Vance as his running mate. The RNC has said the Dallas event will draw about 20,000 and rank as the party’s largest convention in a decade. “This event will be larger than the Republican convention in Milwaukee in 2024,” RNC spokesman Zach Kraft said in an interview with CBS News Texas.
The stakes extend well past the arena. In a September 6 assessment, election analysts saw a plausible route for Democrats to win the House and projected a narrowly split Senate, while noting that their published ranges still left room for Republicans to keep both chambers. Republicans will make their pitch in Dallas on Wednesday, September 9, and Thursday, September 10. Voters go to the polls November 3.