Mayor Eric Johnson speaks Tuesday during a reception for reporters preparing for President Donald Trump’s Republican midterm convention in Dallas.
Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News
Before Republicans sell their political message in Dallas, Dallas is selling itself.
Mayor Eric Johnson, tourism officials and GOP convention organizers pitched Dallas on Tuesday to journalists who will help present the city to a national audience during President Donald Trump’s midterm gathering in September.
Local officials portrayed Dallas as a city accustomed to the spotlight and always ready to compete with rival cities like New York for major events.
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“Big moments don’t intimidate Dallas. In fact, they inspire us,” Johnson said at Klyde Warren Park’s Mi Cocina, owned by Dallas Host Committee co-chair Ray Washburne.
Johnson said businesses recognize Dallas’ appeal, attractions and importance.
“The smartest money on the planet” is choosing the city, he said at a reception for reporters and broadcasters in Dallas as part of a tour of the American Airlines Center.
Developer RayWashburne, co-chair of the Dallas Host Committee for the Republican midterm convention, gives a thumbs up to Mayor Eric Johnson at a media reception Tuesday.
Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News
The Republican Party’s first national midterm convention is scheduled for Sept. 9-10 at the arena. Trump has promised “a RALLY like none other,” with top elected officials, donors, activists and thousands of supporters.
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Unlike a traditional national convention, the two-day gathering will not nominate a presidential candidate. Party officials have describe it as combination fundraiser and political showcase for the GOP ahead of the November elections.
Filling the gap
City boosters say the payoff is the business the event will bring.
“We are ready for this convention,” said Craig Davis, CEO of Visit Dallas, the city’s tourism bureau.
Davis saluted the convention, saying that “we really need it in Dallas.” The city recently closed swaths of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, which is being demolished as part of an expansion project.
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Officials are still hosting smaller events before construction begins, but the lack of large conventions is a concern for now, Davis said.
“In these doldrums,” he said, “we seriously need the business.”
And the GOP gathering will deliver more than national exposure, Davis said, bringing business to local hotels, restaurants and other venues while supporting jobs for hospitality workers.
At Tuesday’s kickoff event, attendees and Republican officials mingled over quesadillas, margaritas and ceviche. Outside, mariachis played as guests arrived.
Some donned cowboy hats handed out as part of a Texas-inspired welcome.
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Leaders of the Dallas Host Committee, including Washburne and his wife, Republican fundraiser Heather Washburne, and philanthropist Lisa Troutt, joined John Hiller, a Trump aide who is overseeing convention operations.
Organizers expect 20,000 people to attend the convention, although its two-day schedule has not been released. Johnson, who founded the Republican Mayors Association in 2023, declined to say whether he is seeking a speaking role.
Hiller praised the city partnership and said the president has been focused on the convention, regularly peppering him with questions.
“He wants to know what the stage is going to look like, what the music is going to be, so the president’s excited,” he said.