{"id":432189,"date":"2026-09-10T22:30:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T22:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/432189\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T22:30:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T22:30:13","slug":"vice-president-jd-vance-to-deliver-keynote-address-on-final-day-of-republican-midterm-convention-in-dallas-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/432189\/","title":{"rendered":"Vice President JD Vance to deliver keynote address on final day of Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"

DALLAS — Republicans opened the\u00a0second and final day<\/a>\u00a0of their midterm convention in Dallas on Thursday well aware that history is not on their side this\u00a0election season<\/a>\u00a0but counting on\u00a0President Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0to push voters to the polls to protect their House and Senate majorities.<\/p>\n

They’re also setting the stage for what could come next, in a post-Trump era, as\u00a0Vice President JD Vance<\/a>\u00a0takes center stage with a primetime speaking slot just ahead of the president. Vance has not said whether he will run for the White House, and Trump has yet to name an heir apparent.<\/p>\n

With the midterms around the corner and the next presidential election two years away, Republican voters are still sizing up their options.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a deep bench,\u201d said Bruce Johnston, 62, who drove 29 hours with his son from Delaware to be in Dallas. “I mean, you\u2019ve got a lot of good candidates. I\u2019d pick any of those for the primary. And we\u2019ll get a good one.\u201d<\/p>\n

His son, Anthony, 33, said he believes Vance is being groomed as Trump’s successor.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one\u2019s Trump,\u201d he said. “But I like him a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before they can sort out their next presidential candidate, Republicans face a potential reckoning in November. They are struggling to bolster enthusiasm to get out the vote for congressional candidates and they are laboring to overcome voters\u2019 concerns about\u00a0the economy<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0war with Iran<\/a>. Many lawmakers still see solidarity with Trump as their best shot at winning, despite the president\u2019s low approval rating.<\/p>\n

They spent the first night denouncing Democrats as extremists before\u00a0Trump capped Wednesday<\/a>\u00a0with a speech saying the choice this election is \u201cvery, very simple\u201d and making the outlandish promise of $5,000 to each American adult, if his party wins.<\/p>\n

Such a proposal could cost more than $1 trillion at a time when the nation faces a\u00a0record $40 trillion debt<\/a>\u00a0and was roundly panned by budget experts, and even some Republicans in the president’s party.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe midterms are not supposed to be won by the sitting president,\u201d Trump acknowledged during a lengthy primetime speech.<\/p>\n

But he predicted this one will be \u201csomething very special,\u201d and encouraged voters to cast their ballots as if they were voting for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cPretend I\u2019m on the ballot,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Democrats, holding their own events around the city, portrayed the Republicans as out of touch with voters’ concerns about high prices and the ethics of the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to ensure that people can actually live their lives, be able to work, have access to healthcare,\u201d said Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the\u00a0top Democrat<\/a>\u00a0on the House Oversight Committee, \u201cand the president\u2019s more interested in sending bizarre, deranged social media posts and having his party in Dallas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vance\u2019s keynote will be closely watched for any hints about his political aspirations. The vice president has demurred on whether he will run for president in 2028, but he\u2019s widely expected to run.<\/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

The second night of the convention will once again include a roster of Republican lawmakers, some of them the most electorally endangered in the country, as well as another potential presidential hopeful, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.<\/p>\n

Coming on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the evening will mark that moment and also pay tribute to assassinated conservative leader Charlie Kirk, who was killed one year ago.<\/p>\n

The night’s themes are expected to delve deeply into what\u00a0House Speaker Mike Johnson<\/a>\u00a0calls the \u201cContrast for America,” as Republicans showcase what they call their \u201cBig Beautiful Bill\u201d of tax breaks and spending cuts, and warn of a future if Democrats take control.<\/p>\n

The campaign slogan is a throwback to an earlier era, when another Republican leader, Newt Gingrich, offered a Contract with America. This time, rather than presenting a detailed list of priorities, Republicans are drawing a contrast with the Democrats, who they contend are too far left and would focus on investigating the Trump administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what we’re talking about when we say common sense versus crazy communists,\u201d Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said warning Wednesday of impeachments ahead if Republicans stay home.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you going to let that happen?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Many in the crowd, filled with MAGA gear and cowboy hats, roared back, \u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n

Republicans have been quick to portray all Democrats as in line with their most liberal candidates, particularly a new generation, some backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Still, one Democrat,\u00a0Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania<\/a>, joined by video address, saying he would always reject extremes.<\/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

But Trump often refuses to accept defeat, including his false claims that he, rather than Joe Biden, won the 2020 election. One of the many people\u00a0he pardoned<\/a>\u00a0for their actions in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, former Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, appeared at the convention.<\/p>\n

Trump on Wednesday said that in this election, \u201call that matters is that we are united.”<\/p>\n

He predicted that \u201cthe great American majority is going to stand up and continue to Make America Great Again. And we will make our voices heard, perhaps like never before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DALLAS — Republicans opened the\u00a0second and final day\u00a0of their midterm convention in Dallas on Thursday well aware that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":432190,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[150156,102,104,103],"class_list":["post-432189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-150156","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=432189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432189\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/432190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=432189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=432189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=432189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}