A logo of the Republican Party’s first midterm convention is displayed at the American Airlines Center.
Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News
Congress will get top billing when President Donald Trump brings the GOP’s political roadshow to Dallas. But farther down the ballot, his party has plenty at stake in the convention’s backyard.
Republicans are defending two state House seats in Dallas County, where their influence has steadily fallen.
They also are working to preserve control of major offices in Tarrant County, targeting a Democratic lawmaker in Collin County and seeking to recapture a state Senate district lost in a special election this year.
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For the candidates, the MAGA doubleheader Sept. 9-10 at the American Airlines Center could be a boost or a burden.
Republicans hope to energize supporters who might skip a midterm election. Democrats aim to turn Trump’s unpopularity into votes in close races.
Republican National Committee officials described the event last week as a “primetime showcase for President Trump’s success, candidates and causes that have propelled the 2026 midterms to unprecedented focus.”
Here are the down-ballot contests closest to the action:
Dallas defense
State Rep. Angie Chen Button.
Steve Hamm/Special Contributor
State Reps. Angie Chen Button of Garland and Morgan Meyer of University Park are the only Republican legislators who live in Dallas County, where Democrats have dominated countywide elections since 2006.
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Button, who in 2024 was reelected to a ninth term in District 112 by 8 percentage points, faces Democrat Zach Herbert, an attorney and Marine veteran.
Meyer, an attorney first elected in 2014 in District 108, is being challenged by Democrat Allison Mitchell, a small-business owner and children’s book author.
A national Democratic group focused on state legislatures has made both districts priorities as it targets 12 Republican-held Texas House seats. Republicans hold an 88-62 majority in the chamber.
Republican consultant Craig Murphy, who works for Button and other House candidates, said she has fended off serious Democratic challenges since 2018 and is positioned to prevail again.
He questioned whether the convention or any backlash against it would change the race.
Democratic consultant Jeff Dalton, who manages Herbert’s campaign, said he believes Republicans decided to hold the convention to gin up less-enthusiastic voters and get them to the polls.
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“The clock has run out,” Dalton said. “It’s not going to work for them.”
Two county fronts
Tarrant is the largest urban county in Texas still controlled by Republicans, making it a major Democratic target.
Republicans are defending County Judge Tim O’Hare against County Commissioner Alisa Simmons and District Attorney Phil Sorrells against defense attorney and former prosecutor Tiffany Burks. O’Hare and Sorrells are endorsed by Trump.
In Collin County, Republicans want to unseat state Rep. Mihaela Plesa, the county’s only Democratic legislator. National Democratic groups are targeting Republican state Reps. Jeff Leach, Matt Shaheen and Keresa Richardson.
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Senate rematch
Democratic Sen. Taylor Rehmet and Republican nominee Leigh Wambsganss are headed for a rematch for the Tarrant County state Senate seat.
philip.jankowski@dallasnews.com
Republicans also want another shot at Senate District 9 in Tarrant County, where Democrat Taylor Rehmet defeated Republican Leigh Wambsganss in a special election this year.
Their November rematch will determine whether Rehmet’s victory represented a lasting shift in a district long held by Republicans or a one-time upset.