During this election season, President Donald Trump is receiving far more support from his fellow Republicans than his predecessor did from Democrats two years ago at this point. The GOP held its first-ever midterm convention, and Trump gave two keynote addresses there while bringing Cabinet officials, allies and members of Congress onto the stage.
The conventional political wisdom holds that the party in power loses seats in Congress during a midterm election year. Americans who oppose the president’s party tend to vote more enthusiastically than supporters of the party’s agenda. But the GOP is betting on the opposite effect.
Trump’s Keynote Speeches
“I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot,” Trump told his audience on Wednesday. All speakers projected confidence despite Trump’s own low approval numbers.
At the convention, the commander in chief delivered two consecutive keynote speeches. Other speakers included his Cabinet officials, allies, and members of Congress. Republican incumbents and candidates running in battleground districts also appeared on stage.
The Republican representative from Pennsylvania, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, spoke with Fox News Digital at the convention’s margins about what voters wanted when they chose the party’s ticket in 2024. He said the election was a demand for real change and results. Among his examples were securing the border and passing the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, which he called historic tax relief.
“Now what we’re seeing is, in a midterm, we are actually going to defy the historic trends,” Mackenzie said. “Why is that? Because the Democrats are so far left they are totally out of touch.”
Lawler Defends Engagement
The election cycle has Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., as one of Democrats’ top targets. To defend his choice to show up at the convention, he pointed to the value of working directly with the president.
“You have to be able to engage with the president, and, you know, frankly, this is where I think the Democrats have made a very big mistake,” Lawler told Fox News Digital. “They could get a lot more in terms of what it is that they want if they would actually engage constructively.”
Last week at the convention, three vulnerable incumbents stepped onto the stage: Lawler, Mackenzie and Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa. During his remarks, Lawler brought forward two residents from his district whose daughter was killed by an illegal immigrant in Chicago, a figure meant to represent what Republicans warn could become more common if Democrats take office.
In recent months, as he has crisscrossed the country in a bid to keep control of Congress for the latter half of his final term, Trump has campaigned in each of their districts.
Candidates Running In Tight Races
The two-day event drew candidates from all over the nation, including those contesting close races. One such candidate is Eric Flores, who is running in a South Texas district held by Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas.
“When people say that folks are running away from President Trump, I’ll tell you, I’m certainly not doing that,” Flores told Fox News Digital. “And let me tell you why: Because he has made promises to South Texas, and he has kept them, especially when we look at border security.”
“My opponent, who said, you know, that the sleepy Joe Biden administration and the no-show border czar, Kamala Harris, were on the right track,” Flores continued. “Let me tell you firsthand, I was on Operation Guardian support, was a federal prosecutor on the border. It was a humanitarian crisis. President Trump, on day one, secured our border.”
Democrats Respond With Attacks
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chair Eugene DePasquale has already seized on the strategy, issuing a statement after the convention in hopes that linking with Trump will hurt GOP candidates the way it did in 2018.
“Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan and Scott Perry made their priorities clear tonight: They care more about Donald Trump’s cost-raising agenda than what’s best for the people of Pennsylvania,” DePasquale said.
“After jetting all the way to Texas to champion an agenda of higher gas prices, cost-raising tariffs and healthcare cuts, Mackenzie, Bresnahan, Perry and the entire PA GOP have proven that they’ll put Trump ahead of our Commonwealth every single time, and Pennsylvanians are ready to send them packing this November.”
The convention did not include Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a candidate who is also expected to run a close race. Fox News Digital attempted to reach him through his campaign for comment.
What The GOP Is Banking On
This year, Republicans are counting on fear about a Democratic socialist uprising, paired with praise for Trump’s signature tax cuts, to hold onto control of both chambers of Congress.
Time will tell if the strategy pays off.
Key Facts Box
- Two-day GOP midterm convention held in Dallas
- Back-to-back keynote speeches from President Trump
- Three vulnerable incumbents spoke: Ryan Mackenzie, Mike Lawler, Rob Bresnahan
- Eric Flores is running in a South Texas district represented by Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas
- Eugene DePasquale is chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party
The gathering showed solidarity behind Trump, with lawmakers facing danger on their ballots explaining why they stayed by pointing to his tax cuts and his promises on the border. It is not yet clear whether this will win them votes in November.