SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— The Republican National Committee (RNC) has voted to amend party bylaws to enable an unusual, Trump-centered national convention ahead of the November midterm elections, as party leaders seek to energize turnout and counter the historical tendency for the White House party to lose ground in midterms.
At the RNC’s winter meeting in Santa Barbara on Friday, members approved the bylaw change unanimously by voice vote, removing procedural hurdles that had limited conventions to presidential election cycles. RNC chair Joe Gruters said the event is designed explicitly to “defy history,” arguing that the party must “do things outside the box” to protect Republican control of both chambers of Congress.
While details remain fluid, CBS News reported that Dallas and Las Vegas are among the cities being considered, and that a senior Republican source expects the gathering to be staged in early fall, rather than the summer window typical for presidential nominating conventions. ABC News reported Gruters said the event would require roughly a half-year runway, suggesting a likely July or August timeframe.
The push for a midterm convention comes as the White House and GOP strategists confront warning signs on the economy and cost of living. In a Reuters report this week, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said President Donald Trump will begin weekly domestic trips, starting with a speech in Iowa focused on the economy and energy, as the administration tries to sharpen its message for voters. Reuters cited a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll showing 36% approval of Trump’s handling of the economy, down from 42% earlier in his term, with aides and lawmakers privately frustrated that his foreign-policy focus has overshadowed bread-and-butter concerns.
Gruters and other Republicans argue a convention-style spectacle would give the party a high-profile platform to showcase what they describe as first-year achievements and to nationalize the midterms around Trump as the movement’s most effective messenger.
Democrats, meanwhile, are expected to frame the election as a referendum on Trump’s governance, betting that public unease over prices, healthcare and broader economic anxiety will outweigh GOP attempts to rally turnout through a presidential-style campaign.
