By MICHELLE L. PRICE and LISA MASCARO<\/p>\n
DALLAS (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump<\/a> and his Vice President JD Vance teamed up Thursday to close out the second and final night<\/a> of the Republicans\u2019 midterm convention in Dallas, imploring voters to stick together to save their party\u2019s majorities in Congress.<\/p>\n Republicans know they are up against history, which traditionally rebuffs the party in power during midterms, but they\u2019re relying on Trump\u2019s personal appeal to voters. Vance, with a primetime speaking slot right before the president, was widely watched as a potential heir<\/a> to the \u201cMake America Great Again\u201d movement.<\/p>\n Trump organized the convention hoping to rally voters who turn out for him, but not for other candidates.<\/p>\n \u201cYou got to do me the biggest favor you\u2019ve ever done,\u201d Trump told the crowd. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to do this for me.\u201d<\/p>\n At one point he led the crowd in a repeat-after-me pledge to swear to vote on Nov. 3.<\/p>\n Vance delivered searing criticism of Democrats, calling them \u201cthe party of hatred.\u201d And even though Republicans have faced their own rifts over Trump\u2019s war in Iran and other issues, he urged them to remain united for the midterms. <\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t give the country over to a bunch of crazy people because you happen to disagree with us on a policy issue here or there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Republicans work to avoid midterm losses in November<\/p>\n Republicans face a potential reckoning this fall. They are struggling to bolster enthusiasm for congressional candidates and laboring to overcome voters\u2019 concerns about the economy<\/a> and the war with Iran<\/a>. While many Republicans skipped the confab at American Airlines Center, others still see solidarity with Trump as their best shot at winning, despite the president\u2019s low approval rating. <\/p>\n Republicans spent two consecutive nights denouncing Democrats as extremists, and Trump capped Wednesday<\/a> by making the outlandish promise of $5,000 to each American adult if his party wins in November. Such a proposal could cost more than $1 trillion and was roundly panned \u2014 even by some Republicans.<\/p>\n As the convention ended, Cheryl McClure of Mansfield, Texas, said she hopes her party\u2019s fortunes improve. <\/p>\n \u201cPeople are talking about what\u2019s happening at the grocery store, and are understandably still afraid, but things are getting better, and it\u2019s our job to spread the word,\u201d she said. \u201cThe emotion coming out is good to drive us forward into November.\u201d<\/p>\n House Democrats blasted the Republicans\u2019 convention as an opulent spectacle for an out-of-touch president.<\/p>\n \u201cDonald Trump does not care about the average American family or about affordability,\u201d said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif. <\/p>\n Protesters chanting \u201csay it loud, say it clear, Donald Trump\u2019s not welcome here\u201d marched down streets, but were stopped by police from getting too close to the site. <\/p>\n Republicans are showcasing accomplishments and eyeing 2028<\/p>\n Vance\u2019s keynote offered hints about his political aspirations, as he spoke about his own family, his wife, Usha, who recently gave birth to their fourth child, and his vision for the country. He has not yet said if he will run in 2028.<\/p>\n When a protester with a Mexican flag interrupted his speech, Vance won an extended roar of approval with his sharp response.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, my friend, if you love Mexico so much, get your a\u2014 over there. I\u2019ll buy you a plane ticket,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got to send a message this November,\u201d Vance said. \u201cThis country was handed down to us by our parents and their parents before them. We received this national birthright, and we are going to fight for it by electing Republicans this November.\u201d<\/p>\n The vice president, who also serves as the Republican National Committee\u2019s finance chair, raised $2 million for the party earlier Thursday at a fundraiser in Dallas, according to a person familiar with the event who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. <\/p>\n Trump is also deploying his cash in key midterm races. No Going Back PAC Inc., which, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, is connected to Trump\u2019s MAGA Inc., has reserved more than $68 million for advertising. The person was not authorized to speak publicly about the funding arrangement. <\/p>\n Coming on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the evening solemnly marked that moment. It also produced a video tribute to Charlie Kirk,<\/a> who co-founded the conservative group Turning Point USA. He was assassinated one year ago.<\/p>\n \u201cHis voice has only grown louder,\u201d said Lucas Miles, a pastor and vice president at Turning Point. The president\u2019s son, Donald Trump Jr., drew chants of \u201cUSA!\u201d as he honored Kirk and criticized Democrats.<\/p>\n At one point, Rep. Mike Lawler, who is fighting to win reelection in New York, appeared onstage with the family of Sheridan Gorman who was fatally shot in Chicago and officials have charged a man they say was illegally in the country. They presented a bench in her honor as a place where lawmakers can sit to discuss issues. <\/p>\n In a lighter moment, Marty O\u2019Donnell, a composer who is challenging a House Democrat in Nevada, got the crowd to sing along to the earworm jingle he wrote for Flintstones vitamins.<\/p>\n Trump hopes the convention will help Republicans buck historical trends<\/p>\n The night\u2019s themes delved into what House Speaker Mike Johnson<\/a> calls the \u201cContrast for America,\u201d as Republicans showcased what they call their \u201cBig Beautiful Bill\u201d<\/a> of tax breaks and spending cuts and warned of a bleak future if Democrats take control.<\/p>\n The campaign slogan is a throwback to another Republican leader, Newt Gingrich, who offered a Contract with America. This time, rather than presenting a detailed list of priorities, Republicans are quick to portray all Democrats as in line with their most liberal candidates, some backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, and focused on investigating the Trump administration.<\/p>\n \u201cIt truly is a contrast between common sense and crazy,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cWe cannot and we will not allow them to take the majority in Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n With the Republican majorities in the House and Senate both at risk this fall, the president\u2019s agenda for his final two years in office is also at stake. The margins in Congress are expected to be narrow, with a few seats in a shrunken map of competitive races determining the outcome.<\/p>\n Presidents past have acknowledged their midterm losses \u2014 Barack Obama called his 2010 setbacks a \u201cshellacking,\u201d George W. Bush labeled his a \u201cthumping.\u201d<\/p>\n