At the first-ever Republican National Committee midterm convention in Dallas, some of the most endangered House Republicans in the country did the opposite of what political convention says they should: they got on stage next to President Trump.
Reps. Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania, Mike Lawler of New York and Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania — all top targets for House Democrats this cycle — appeared at the two-day event, which featured back-to-back keynote speeches from Trump himself alongside his Cabinet officials, congressional allies and candidates from across the country.
“I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot,” Trump told the crowd on Wednesday.
The strategy runs against a long-standing pattern in American politics: the party holding the White House almost always loses ground in the midterms, in part because opposition voters tend to be more energized. Two years ago, many Democrats kept their distance from President Biden. This year’s Republican gathering did the opposite, putting Trump front and center even as his own approval ratings remain low.
‘We Are Actually Going to Defy the Historic Trends’
Mackenzie, who represents a Pennsylvania district Democrats are targeting, told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the convention that he sees this election playing out differently than history would predict.
“We ran together in 2024 on a ticket with President Trump, [Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa.] and myself — voters elected all of us to deliver real change and results, and we’ve actually been able to do that with securing the border and delivering historic tax relief,” Mackenzie said. “Now what we’re seeing is in a midterm, we are actually going to defy the historic trends. Why is that? Because the Democrats are so far left they are totally out of touch.”
Republicans are leaning on two main arguments heading into November: warning that Democrats have moved too far left, and touting Trump’s tax cuts under the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
Lawler Says Engagement Beats Distance
Lawler, whose suburban New York City district is another marquee Democratic target, argued that showing up for a sitting president — regardless of party — is simply part of the job.
“He’s the President of the United States, and whether it was Joe Biden or Donald Trump, I’ve always shown up,” Lawler told Fox News Digital. “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. They could get a lot more in terms of what it is that they want if they would actually engage constructively.”
During his appearance, Lawler introduced two residents from his district whose daughter was killed by an illegal immigrant in Chicago, using the moment to underscore the party’s message on border enforcement.
Trump has personally campaigned in the districts held by Lawler, Mackenzie and Bresnahan in recent months as part of a broader effort to protect the GOP’s House and Senate majorities through the rest of his term.
Candidates in Tight Races Line Up Behind Trump
It wasn’t only sitting members of Congress making the case for proximity to Trump. Eric Flores, a Republican running against Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, in a South Texas district, rejected any suggestion that GOP candidates should keep the president at arm’s length.
“When people say that folks are running away from President Trump, I’ll tell you I’m certainly not doing that. 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,” Flores said. “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. 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 See an Opening
Democrats argue the Dallas spectacle will backfire, drawing a direct line to 2018, when association with Trump helped drag down Republican candidates in swing districts.
“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,” Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chair Eugene DePasquale said in a statement. “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.”
Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., another Republican expected to face a close race this fall, was not seen at the Dallas convention; his campaign was contacted for comment.
Whether embracing Trump proves to be a winning bet or a costly one won’t be clear until Americans vote this November.
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