Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters predicts a successful midterm convention for the party, calling it a "Trumpapalooza" aimed at energizing GOP voters in a difficult climate.
Gruters spoke exclusively about the Sept. 9-10 convention in Dallas, where President Donald Trump and the GOP's 2026 message will be center stage before voters decide control of Congress.
"It gives us a chance to highlight all the wonderful things this president has done in our effort on this great American comeback to highlight the ideas, policies, and people that's making it happen," Gruters said.
National political conventions normally take place during presidential election years, but this year's midterm climate has led Republicans to see the convention as an effective vehicle to get their message out.
"We can win. It's going to start here at the convention. I'm super excited about it," Gruters emphasized.
Gruters pointed to recent primary victories by far-left and socialist candidates over the Democratic Party establishment, saying "we're going to be able to highlight and contrast where the Republican Party is versus what the left is, and the fact that they're getting pushed and now controlled and being run by these radical leftists that want to fundamentally change our country."
Party leaders are also hoping the convention will help to energize MAGA voters who don't always vote when Trump isn't on the ballot.
Gruters called Trump the "best showman that's ever existed in politics, bar none... He knows how to deliver these low-propensity voters. He knows how to get people up, motivated, excited about the midterms, and that's what we're going to need."
However, the Democratic National Committee Director of Rapid Response, Kendall Witmer, says the convention will only remind Americans of Trump's failed promises and tie Republican candidates to a historically unpopular president.
"The American people can't afford their bills or to fill up at the pump because of Donald Trump, and Republicans' response is to throw a multi-million dollar televised celebration for Trump," Witmer said.
Witmer emphasized that Democrats are already hitting the trail and speaking directly with American voters about their plans to cut costs and make health care affordable.
