President Donald Trump won't be on the ballot in November, but the theme of the GOP's convention in Texas this week is unmistakable: he's the face of the midterm elections.
Republicans from Connecticut and around the U.S. are headed to Dallas for a gathering on Wednesday and Thursday seeking to remind voters what they've been able to pass with a political trifecta in Congress and the White House — and why they need to hold on to their fragile majorities in the House and Senate to finish out the last half of Trump's term.
Ben Proto, chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party, said about 15 people from the state are attending. That includes Connecticut's members on the Republican National Committee, some in the state central committee and local leaders. GOP congressional candidate Chris Shea will also be in Dallas this week to speak with a Trump-aligned group, but doesn't plan to attend the official convention programming.
Republicans see it as a moment to rally the troops two months out from a critical election where enthusiasm can lag without a presidential race at the top of the ticket. Trump has been able to turn out lower propensity voters who might fail to show up when he's not on the ballot. But the midterms are typically a referendum for the majority party and, this cycle, they're navigating political landmines like an ongoing war with Iran and an escalating trade war with Canada.
Trump is expected to dominate the two-day convention, speaking on both Wednesday and Thursday night. The speaker lineup also includes Vice President JD Vance and members of Trump's Cabinet like Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The convention will also spotlight a number of Republican leaders, elected officials and candidates from across the country — even some who are running in tough races while other vulnerable lawmakers are deciding to stay home and campaign. Republicans hope those featured candidates will get a chance to shine as well.
"The headliner is Donald Trump both nights. He should be the headliner. He's the president of the United States," Proto said in an interview ahead of the convention. "But I think it'll be an opportunity for us to showcase candidates in those important races."
Compared to larger states, Connecticut will have a relatively smaller delegation at the convention.
Some of that is related more to the timing of the event, rather than the cost, Proto said. Northeast states send kids back to school later than other parts of the country, plus the convention is coming right off of Labor Day Weekend and happening the same week as the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Proto said they were able to keep pricing relatively reasonable, unlike other states that were charging in the five-figure range for tickets.
Unlike other states and regions, Connecticut won't be a major factor in the battle for Congress. And Trump lost the state by double-digit margins in the past three presidential races.
Most candidates running in November won't be in attendance.
Ryan Fazio, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, isn't going to Dallas. He's "very focused on his election, the issues facing Connecticut voters and making our state a better place to live," Hannah Lemek, Fazio's director of communications, said.
Shea, who is running in Connecticut's only competitive House district, will be in Texas this week to headline a private event and doesn't currently plan to attend the convention, his campaign manager Brock Weber said.
Shea, a North Haven firefighter and retired Navy SEAL, was invited to Dallas to speak with the group, Serbs for Trump, an organization of Serbian Americans that was founded in 2016. The event is happening alongside the Dallas convention, but is not an official RNC event.
"I look forward to sharing my vision with for a safer, stronger, and more prosperous America with the Serbian diaspora and many other communities who have been failed by our out of touch congresswoman," Shea posted on social media.
Shea is running against U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes in Connecticut's sprawling 5th District in the western part of the state. Hayes' reelection race in 2024 was not as close as the one in 2022. This cycle, election analysts who rate competitive races moved the 5th District closer to Democrats.
Historically, the party in power confronts headwinds in a midterm election. And Trump faces sagging approval numbers amid a war in Iran that has entered its seventh month.
But Proto believes the first-of-its-kind convention will ultimately be a "net positive" for Republicans and the party's candidates running for House and Senate.
"We've never done this before, and it's something different, it's something new, it's something exciting," Proto said. "And whenever you do that, there's a great risk-reward opportunity to it, and I think the reward well outweighs the risk of this. I think we'll come out of this in a better position than we went into it."
The major parties host quadrennial national conventions months out from a presidential election to formalize their nominations. Conventions during a midterm election year are exceedingly rare — Democrats haven't held one in decades and Republicans have never done so until this year.
Republicans' last national convention was in Milwaukee in 2024, convening just days after the first assassination attempt against Trump.
This year, the party is descending on Texas, which has a marquee race for U.S. Senate that has captured national attention and record-breaking donations. Republicans expect similar theatrical and celebratory aspects of past conventions, but the biggest difference will be no roll call of the states to nominate a presidential candidate.
Delegate hold up signs provided to them by organizers at the Republican National Committee convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The convention programming focuses largely on elements of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," Republicans' sweeping party-line bill that passed in the summer of 2025. That includes a permanent extension of tax cuts and tax deductions on overtime pay and tips on federal income taxes.
Since its passage, Democrats have been promoting messaging against the bill by highlighting the eligibility changes to Medicaid and SNAP benefits in that bill, which are leading to cuts in Connecticut and the U.S.
Other parts of the convention will focus on his immigration enforcement and border agenda, trade policies, and culture war issues like transgender youth in sports.
Republicans hope the convention will reorient the party to focus on accomplishments and ways to contrast itself with the Democratic Party.
Proto said the party has sometimes gotten caught up on things that "we'd like to see passed or like to be implemented [that] probably are not going to happen."
Perhaps the most glaring example is the SAVE America Act, Republicans' bill that would require voters to provide "documentary proof" of citizenship when they register to vote or change their registration and require an approved form of photo ID when voting in person or by mail. Trump has also sought to restrict mail-in voting both through legislation and executive orders, which are currently tied up in court.
Trump has been laser-focused on passing the SAVE America Act, which has stalled in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has repeatedly said the bill doesn't have the votes to move forward, especially with the filibuster intact and a lack of appetite in the party to gut those rules. That has irked Trump. Notably, Thune will not be at the Dallas convention, though last-minute appearances are still possible.
One of the earlier segments on first night of the convention will be dedicated to talking about the SAVE America Act. Although unlikely to pass, Proto argues the issue can still be used "to show the difference between Democrats and Republicans."
Republicans believe they need to give voters a reminder of what they've done since Trump returned to office in January 2025.
"A lot of it is 'what have you done for me lately?' When you look at the 'big beautiful bill,' that was last year. So what have you done today?" Proto said.
"And a lot of it is we need to really improve talking about our accomplishments and talking about what we’ve done and really differentiating ourselves from where Democrats are and where the Democrats are moving to," he continued, pointing to candidates on the left running under the banner of Democratic socialists.
Democrats, meanwhile, have their own plans in Texas. Members of Congress will travel to Dallas for counterprogramming of the event led by Reps. Robert Garcia, D-Calif.; Jason Crow, D-Colo.; Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., and Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif. Local groups and candidates are also organizing events on the ground.
"While swing seat House Republicans try to hide from their record of raising costs on working families, gutting Medicaid to fund tax breaks for billionaire donors and supporting a reckless war of choice in Iran, House Democrats will be present to hold them accountable," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a statement.
Democrats want to make much of the midterms about Trump. But so does the president. Nov. 3 will determine which bet ultimately pays off.
Beyond this week's convention, the president has promised to campaign in nearly three dozen races. And his affiliated political groups will run ads this fall to boost Republicans, some of which are prominently featuring him and his policies.
"So what I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot," Trump said at a recent campaign rally in South Carolina. "I am on the ballot. We're all on the ballot. Our country's on the ballot."
This story was originally published by The Connecticut Mirror September 9, 2026.
