# Dallas hosts the GOP's first midterm convention

> Trump, Vance and $51 million in ad money turned one week in North Texas into a national fight.
- Title: Dallas hosts the GOP's first midterm convention | Shortify
- Summary: Trump, Vance and $51 million in ad money turned one week in North Texas into a national fight. Texas is where the 2026 midterms are being staged and funded…
- Keywords: texas politics, dallas, midterms, surveillance, education, news, politics, hosts, GOP's, first, midterm, convention
- Source: Dallas Express — https://dallasexpress.com/column/did-you-miss-it-dallas-gop-convention-texas-history-overhaul-and-mckinney-recall-fight
- Author: Dallas Express
- Published: 2026-09-13T12:00:28+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: texas politics, dallas, midterms, surveillance, education, news, politics
## The arena became the campaign
American Airlines Center hosted the Republican Party's first midterm convention, with President Trump and Vice President Vance making the case for November over two days.

> the event put American Airlines Center at the center of national politics
## A $5,000 dividend and a warning
Day one brought Trump's $5,000 dividend proposal, a Paxton warning and a Fetterman video. Day two closed with Trump, Vance, Abbott and Cruz.
## Charlie Kirk took center stage
One year after his assassination, Kirk's legacy anchored a tribute inside the arena. Outside it, Dallas police arrested two people during an anti-Trump march.
## Cowboy hats and rhinestones
Delegates gave the gathering a distinctly Dallas character, and Republican voices on the floor sounded off on Iran, socialism and what some called an Islamic invasion.

> Cowboy Hats, Rhinestones And The People
## Outside money floods the Senate race
MAGA Inc. and America PAC reported about $12.4 million backing Ken Paxton or opposing James Talarico, while Texas PAC reserved $51.3 million in TV ads.

> For They/Them, Not You
## McKinney residents push a recall
U.S. Rep. Keith Self backed a recall campaign built on growth, traffic, airport financing and City Hall accountability.

> We've Had Enough
## Dallas shuts the camera doors
Police cut Flock license-plate data sharing from more than 1,500 agencies to 202 Texas agencies, as other Texas cities dropped the cameras entirely.
## H-1B jobs tied to TxDOT
Federal records linked 193 proposed H-1B positions to TxDOT worksites through private employers, and a DHS proposal would end the job-loss grace period for those visa holders.
## Schools rewrite Texas history
The state finished a K-12 social studies overhaul built around Western civilization, free enterprise and personal financial literacy. The Baby Gabriel case reached the Supreme Court.
## Key takeaway

Texas is where the 2026 midterms are being staged and funded, from the convention floor in Dallas to a Senate race drawing tens of millions in outside ads.