# Three GOP Voices, Three Very Different Midterm Pitches > At the party's first midterm convention in Dallas, three Republicans disagreed on what should carry the GOP through November. - Title: Three GOP Voices, Three Very Different Midterm Pitches - Summary: At the party's first midterm convention in Dallas, three Republicans disagreed on what should carry the GOP through November. The GOP's midterm message is… - Keywords: republicans, midterms, dallas, iran war, politics, news, Three, GOP, Voices, Very, Different, Midterm - Source: Dallas Express — https://dallasexpress.com/national/republican-voices-sound-off-on-iran-socialism-and-islamic-invasion-at-dallas-convention - Author: Dallas Express - Published: 2026-09-12T20:00:42+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: republicans, midterms, dallas, iran war, politics, news ## A convention in Dallas The Republican Party held its first midterm convention at American Airlines Center on September 9 and 10, 2026. Organizers framed it around Trump's record, the candidate slate, and party unity. ## Three interviews, three messages The Dallas Express spoke separately with former Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback, Detroit pastor Lorenzo Sewell, and Texas education board member Brandon Hall. ## Fishback wants kitchen table talk Fishback said the convention should center on what keeps people up at night: gas, mortgages, and whether their job survives AI or immigration. > how can they afford gas, how can they afford their mortgage, is their job going to be there in a year ## Loyal, but not uncritical He said he has real disagreements with his party yet still backs its platform, and plans to support America first Republicans across the ticket. > I still think it's the far superior platform and policy set for America ## Breaking with Trump on Iran Fishback praised Trump's past peace through strength posture but split with him on the ongoing Iran war, which hung over the whole convention. > I certainly don't agree with him on this particular conflict ## End the war, bring troops home He argued that ending the conflict would return American troops and push gas prices down, and called it good for both parties heading into November. > I think that's not just good for the party going into the midterms, but also good for the country ## Target H-1B hiring On jobs, Fishback said Republicans should confront companies importing cheaper foreign labor, since losing a paycheck makes everything else unaffordable. > if you lose your job, quite literally everything is unaffordable ## A warning to young voters Asked for his message to young Republicans, Fishback told them not to be drawn in by democratic socialist candidates. > A rose by any other name is just as sweet, and a communism by any other name is just as wicked. ## Foreign money, and AIPAC He called for stripping foreign and foreign-aligned money out of US politics, naming AIPAC, CAIR, India and others. AIPAC says it is funded only by Americans, and federal law already bars foreign nationals from election spending. > Get all foreign money out of American politics ## Sewell calls Trump a tourniquet Sewell, who gave the benediction at Trump's second inauguration, described the president in religious terms as the thing holding the country together. > Our president has been the tourniquet to stop the bleeding from America spiritually ## The pastor's claims about Islam Sewell pointed to what he called the Islamification of the country and made sweeping claims about Muslim Americans. That is his characterization, not an established fact about Muslims broadly. > Islam is not looking to assimilate. Islam is looking to conquer. ## Chasing the missing Christian vote Sewell said Trump asked him to mobilize pastors, citing 65% of Christians skipping midterms. A similar figure from My Faith Votes actually counts 65 million Christians skipping local elections, which is not the same claim. > Pastor Lorenzo, I need the pastors. Christians do not vote during midterms. ## Hall says the party is losing Hall admitted Republicans face a tough cycle and would likely lose today, blaming a message that has not found an issue voters care about. > I don't like our chances, and the party hasn't found an issue that really animates our voters ## Key takeaway The GOP's midterm message is unsettled: one wing wants to run on gas prices and jobs, another wants to run on Islam and faith, and nobody has landed on the issue that moves voters.