What is the GOP convention happening this week?
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What is the GOP midterm convention and why is it happening now?
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Every presidential election year, political parties hold conventions. You know the deal. Supporters, party bigwigs, they all meet to pick their candidate and really talk about their platform for the upcoming campaign. This year, though, Republicans are holding what they're calling a midterm convention. Will it work? It's the NPR Politics Podcast. I'm Miles Parks. I cover voting.
I'm Tamara Keith. I cover politics. And I'm Mara Liason, senior national political correspondent.
Tam, let's just start with this convention. What is it? Where is it? And most importantly, why is it?
So it is in Dallas, Texas, and it will be on Wednesday and Thursday nights. And the thing that you described that happens every four years, that is not this. There is no official party business. This is really just a television program, an infomercial, a Trump rally over two nights. There are a number of speakers that have been announced. President Trump is the headliner. Both nights. One interesting side note is that the NFL season also starts Wednesday and Thursday. So there will be some competition for eyeballs and it's not clear how much coverage this infomercial is going to get. But then it can be sliced and diced and and put out over the Internet. And, you know, in this clicks economy that that is worth a lot.
OK, so it seems like President Trump is going to be front and center on this thing. But can you talk broadly about the messaging outside of Trump in terms of the things that we think Republicans are going to focus on in this convention?
Well, you can't get outside of Trump. He is the center of the Republican political universe.
Where is the GOP convention being held and what will the event look like?
So what they are going to be talking about is President Trump's accomplishments. That's the way they talk about it. The focus in terms of issues is lowering costs and raising incomes. It's securing the border and protecting American values. So these are broad topics that we're expecting them to address. There will be members of Congress speaking. There will be the president, the vice president, and lots of those like regular people affected by the president's policies who you see at every sort of convention. That will be there, too. I think one thing that is notable is that not all vulnerable Republicans will be there. There are something like 45 competitive races between the House and the Senate. fewer than half of the people running in those competitive races will be speaking at this convention up on stage.
I mean, Mara, what do you make of the political strategy here? Doing an entire midterm convention centered on a president who is historically unpopular at a time when that kind of complicates the lives of many Republicans running in many of these races.
Well, there are two different strategies here, and they're completely incompatible. One is President Trump's strategy. He believes that Republicans do better when he is either on the ballot or front and center. He has told voters, I want you to pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot. Just come out and vote and show up for it. But lots of Republican operatives and members of Congress who are running for re-election do not subscribe to that strategy. They think that an unpopular president, President Trump, has approval rating somewhere in the high 30s to low 40s, is a drag on Republicans. And they'd be better to run their own races and not be seen with him in Dallas at this convention or anywhere else.
And that's the real problem here. I mean, Donald Trump has a firm iron grip on his party. Nobody would dare tell him what he's trying to do is unproductive or unhelpful for Republicans. But he firmly believes this. You know, he believes if everything is about him, his party will do better.
And polls do show that Democratic voters are far more energized about these midterms than Republicans. So there is an energy problem. Trump believes and some of his advisers that if they can generate excitement with this convention and other things to to make voters, you know, the term is low propensity voters.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the GOP midterm convention and why is it happening now?
0:00–2:02
2
Where is the GOP convention being held and what will the event look like?
2:02–5:17
3
How is President Trump being positioned in the convention messaging?
5:17–7:59
4
Why are some Republican candidates hesitant to attend the Trump‑led convention?
7:59–10:18
5
How much money does Trump’s super PAC have and how will it be spent on the midterms?
10:18–13:16
6
What economic message are Democrats using to appeal to voters this midterm?
13:16–16:16
7
Which Senate and House races are pivotal for control of Congress?
16:16–18:47
8
What should listeners watch for as the midterms approach and what events are coming up?
18:47–20:14