The Republican midterms convention

The Republican Party held an unprecedented first-ever midterm-year national convention in Dallas, Texas on September 9-10, styled as a campaign rally and fundraiser rather than a traditional nominating convention, aiming to energize the base and defend the party's control of Congress in November amid Trump's sagging approval rating (33-38% in recent polls, down from 52% at the start of his term). The convention unfolded under the shadow of the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, which Trump launched February 28: Brent crude prices topped $100 a barrel for the first time since July, and polling showed only about a quarter of Americans considered the war worthwhile, with Trump telling reporters it would likely not end before the midterms and predicting it would conclude "immediately after" the vote, accusing Iran of deliberately stalling to influence the election. In his Wednesday keynote, Trump floated paying every American adult $5,000 if Republicans won both chambers of Congress -- an unfunded, roughly $1.3 trillion pledge with no implementation details that Democrats dismissed as an "empty promise" -- and urged supporters to "pretend that I'm on the ballot" given his dominant grip on the party. Notably absent were more moderate Republicans in competitive races, including Maine Senator Susan Collins, reflecting concern that association with Trump could mobilize opposition turnout; Democrats, including House leader Hakeem Jeffries, sent counter-programming lawmakers to Dallas, even as the cash-strapped DNC skipped holding its own rival event. Vice President JD Vance closed night one, while Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton -- Trump's preferred pick over four-term incumbent John Cornyn -- received heavy stage time in a race widely seen as a bellwether given Texas hasn't elected a statewide Democrat since 1994. Out of the convention came a party messaging push on cost-of-living issues, including a roadmap for candidates to campaign on high prices, and a Trump proposal to eliminate taxes on diesel fuel.