HELENA — Typically, national political parties meet for conventions every four years, when they approve their party platforms and select their presidential nominees. This year, though, the Republican Party is taking an unusual step and meeting outside a presidential year.
“It is not the usual thing to do, but I think that people thought that this was an important time in the country's history to do it,” said Art Wittich, chair of the Montana Republican Party.
(Watch the video to hear more from the Montana Republicans participating in the GOP event.)
Republicans from across the country are gathering in Dallas Wednesday and Thursday for a “midterm convention.” Wittich said that includes about 30 delegates, alternates and guests from Montana.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak both nights of the convention, and Vice President JD Vance will speak on Thursday. They’ll be joined by dozens of other speakers.
Without nominations or other official party business to conduct, leaders say this convention is intended to spur Republican voters to turn out in the November elections.
“There are a large group of people who only vote every four years, and the purpose of the convention is to get some of those people who may not have voted to the polls,” said Wittich.
One Montanan took the stage Wednesday afternoon: Attorney General Austin Knudsen, speaking in his role as chair of the Republican Attorneys General Association. More than half of U.S. states are electing attorneys general this year. Knudsen told attendees Republicans in those positions would be united behind Trump and his administration – and pushing back against what he called Democrats’ “socialist path.”
“Republican AGs are in the fight to make sure the policies of this country are decided by the American people and the representatives they elect, not activist liberal judges,” he said. “That’s our job, that’s our fight, and we’re not backing down.”
Knudsen said he saw Trump as “a partner in Washington, D.C.” – in contrast to former President Joe Biden, who his office frequently sued.
“We could get back to doing what attorneys general and law enforcement are supposed to do: enforcing the law, arresting criminals, and keeping our communities safe,” he said.
A spokesperson for Gov. Greg Gianforte, who chairs the national Republican Governors Association, told MTN that “unfortunately, the governor had prior commitments” that meant he couldn’t attend the convention. On Wednesday, he was continuing his annual 56 county tour with stops in Carbon, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Park, and Gallatin County.
Montana’s Republican congressional nominees won’t be in Dallas either. Western U.S. House candidate Aaron Flint’s campaign told MTN he also had previously scheduled events in the state; eastern district U.S. Rep. Troy Downing’s office said he would be meeting with constituents in his district; and a spokesperson for Senate candidate Kurt Alme said he would be campaigning and meeting with voters in their communities, “sharing his conservative common sense message” and his commitment to work alongside Trump.
While national surveys have shown Trump’s approval rate lagging, Wittich said he believes the president remained popular in Montana. He said the convention can draw attention to policies the Trump administration has implemented on issues like taxes, border security and crime.
“There are a number of people who want to defy history and keep Republican majorities in both the House and the Senate this cycle,” he said.
A midterm convention isn’t an unprecedented idea – the Democratic Party held several in the 1970s and 1980s – but this is the first time in recent memory the Republican Party has done it. Wittich said he didn’t see the event as a sign that Republican leaders are concerned about the upcoming elections.
“We've done a lot in the last few months – raising money, getting ready for elections, recruiting good candidates,” he said. “We have a great slate of candidates across the country. We've also been working on redistricting issues. So, this has been worked on, and now, in a couple months, we'll know if we did the right thing.”
