Republicans Hold 2-Day Special Convention in Dallas to Rally Support Ahead of November 3 Midterms
GeopoliticsMacro
The U.S. Republican Party is holding a special two-day convention beginning Wednesday, September 9, in Dallas, Texas, to rally the party's base ahead of the November midterm elections. President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak on both days of the convention. He is expected to highlight key achievements of his second term despite declining approval ratings, and to attack the Democrats, who are gaining momentum from the party's left wing. Several polls indicate the Democrats are likely to retake the majority in the House of Representatives, as the protracted war with Iran shows no sign of ending and the public disapproves of it. The war has kept oil prices high and weighed on American consumers. Before departing for the convention, Trump told reporters near Washington that he expects the war to end immediately after the election, which is widely seen as a referendum on the president and the ruling party. The November 3 election will be a major test of whether the Republicans can hold on to their slim majorities in both the House and the Senate. All 435 House seats are up for grabs, while 35 of the Senate's 100 seats are being contested. The Democrats need a net gain of four seats to retake the Senate majority. Texas is a key Republican stronghold, but this year's Senate race in the state is a close contest between Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general and a staunch Trump supporter, and James Talarico, a U.S. representative from Texas and the Democratic candidate for the Senate seat. If the Republican candidate loses, it would be the party's first defeat in this Senate seat in 38 years. Meanwhile, several Republican candidates facing tight races in the House and Senate have decided not to attend the convention in order to keep their distance from Trump.
