Live updates: Trump closes Day One of midterm convention that featured state GOP stars, Dem pushback

Trump ribs Paxton’s appearance and speaking style but calls him “greatest attorney general in America”

President Donald Trump on Wednesday pledged to return to Texas to get Attorney General Ken Paxton elected to the U.S. Senate.

But first, a word about Paxton’s appearance.

“Some might not like the way he dresses. I don’t — although tonight he looked very spiffy in his blue suit, I must tell you,” Trump said in his keynote address to the GOP convention Wednesday. “They may not like the way he talks. I can see that.”

Paxton was the first candidate Trump mentioned by name, about 15 minutes into his remarks. He highlighted the importance of Texas’ Senate race nationally and tried to gin up enthusiasm for the attorney general in his competitive race against Democrat James Talarico.

But in an echo of remarks he’s made over recent weeks, Trump couldn’t help but rib Paxton once more.

“It’s so insulting — you know, I hope he doesn’t get insulted,” Trump said. “He may not dress right. He may not talk exactly perfectly, and he may not be the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen. But you know what he is? He’s the greatest attorney general in America, and he deserves to be your next senator.”

Trump vowed to return to Texas multiple times to help get Paxton elected, which he said would be “a big part” of ensuring Republicans “defeat communism in America and vote for American freedom.”

“I’ll be coming back to Texas, because we have to elect Ken Paxton,” Trump said, adding later, “And if I have to, I’ll come back twice or three times. You’ll say, ‘Get this guy out of here. Get him out.’ They’re gonna be saying, get him the hell outta here. He’s here too much. No, I’ll come once or twice or I’ll come whatever.”

Trump called Paxton “instrumental” to the administration’s efforts to close the southern border, along with Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, whose loss to Paxton in the Republican primary was all but sealed by the president’s endorsement of the attorney general.

“See, I’m being very nice,” Trump said. “Ted Cruz worked very hard on the wall, and so did John Cornyn.”

— Kayla Guo

Ken Paxton presents economic plan, bashes Talarico and thanks Trump

Attorney General Ken Paxton praised President Donald Trump and bashed James Talarico in his speech from the GOP convention stage Wednesday, a highly anticipated address as the Republican Senate candidate in the host state.

Paxton was introduced by National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez, who initially endorsed Sen. John Cornyn in the primary before getting behind Paxton after he won the runoff.

In a 6½-minute speech similar to the one he delivers on the campaign trail, Paxton presented himself as a champion of the American Dream and Talarico as an opponent. The attorney general thanked Trump for delivering for Texans, saying he “delivered more for this country than anyone before,” while also noting the economic concerns voters have.

“Everywhere I go, I meet Texans working harder than ever but still worried that they will never get ahead,” Paxton said. “Those are the people that I’m fighting for. And I want every Texan to be able to buy a home, raise their family and live a healthy life.”

Paxton highlighted the tenets of his economic plan — a suite of tax breaks for housing and healthcare-related costs, making the Trump investment accounts created in Republicans’ 2025 tax bill permanent and doubling the size of the child tax credit.

He then pivoted to attacking Talarico on both taxes and social issues. Calling Talarico a “democratic socialist” — though Talarico is not a member of Democratic Socialists of America — Paxton said the state representative “never met a tax increase he didn’t love” and accused him of wanting to tax tips, income, overtime and Social Security.

Talarico’s tax plan involves raising rates on corporations and billionaires, eliminating the Social Security tax cap on people earning over $400,000 and expanding tax credits targeted at parents and low-income workers.

Paxton also acknowledged Talarico’s massive fundraising — the Democrat raised $30 million in the second quarter to Paxton’s $9 million.

“He is the most radical Democrat in Texas history, but he’s also the most well-funded,” Paxton said. “And that’s why today I need your prayers, your votes and your support.”

— Gabby Birenbaum

Brandon Gill takes the stage

Rep. Brandon Gill, a freshman lawmaker and rising GOP star, took the stage to lengthy applause from the audience.

The Flower Mound Republican is one of just a handful of candidates to address the convention who is neither in Republican leadership nor in a competitive race this fall. Gill’s Denton County-based district is heavily red. And he spoke for over 10 minutes, a longer speaking slot than most other non-leadership speakers.

Known for generating clip-worthy moments during back-and-forth in committee hearings, Gill ticked down a list of Democratic candidates that he called crazy. The list included Texas Democrat James Talarico, whom he nicknamed “James ‘God is nonbinary, there are six genders, we need to dismantle capitalism’ Talarico” and attacked for his interpretation of Christianity.

Talarico, who is a Presbyterian seminarian, “will hollow out your most deeply held Christian faith and wear it like a skinsuit,” Gill said.

He emphasized the contrast messaging that other Republicans on the stage have sought to detail, calling out Democrats for various “woke” opinions and framing the November election as a referendum on whether America should exist.

“This election is very clear — it’s the mainstream versus the extreme,” Gill said. “Because there’s another political movement in our country right now that doesn’t believe that America is or ever was great. They sometimes call themselves socialists. Some even call themselves communists. But most of them simply go by Democrats.”

— Gabby Birenbaum

De La Cruz siblings address the convention

U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, and her brother Carlos De La Cruz, the GOP candidate for the 35th Congressional District, were the first candidates to speak at the GOP convention Wednesday.

Both are running in majority-Hispanic districts that Democrats are eager to flip. Carlos De La Cruz is hoping to represent a newly redrawn district, based in San Antonio and including rural counties to the east, that President Donald Trump won by 10 percent in 2024. De La Cruz’s seat, anchored in Hidalgo County, also changed significantly. Trump won it by 18 percent in 2024. Their races are expected to be competitive — and indicative of where South Texas Latinos land this cycle after polling has shown the group souring on Trump.

The De La Cruz siblings both addressed affordability concerns and the border — blaming President Joe Biden and Democrats for the former and praising Trump for securing the latter.

“Working with President Trump, we ended the border crisis,” Monica De La Cruz said. “We cut taxes. And we turned a socialist nightmare back into the American Dream.”

The siblings also dinged their Democratic opponents, moderates endorsed by the centrist group the Blue Dog PAC, as overly liberal. 

Carlos De La Cruz, a first-time candidate and Air Force veteran, touted his military background and said he would “fight for the family sitting at the kitchen table tonight, doing the math on the rent, the groceries and the gas, and wondering how it all adds up.”

He blamed Democrats and the Biden administration for the rise in prices, and thanked Trump and the GOP for cutting taxes and securing the border. And he attacked his Democratic opponent, Bexar County Deputy Sheriff Johnny Garcia, as a rubber stamp for his “leftist party bosses” who would usher in a “return to open borders and higher taxes on working families.”

His sister led with a similar message, recalling the Biden era as one of rising rents and groceries and beneficial to the drug cartels while praising Republicans for following through on Trump’s campaign promises to end taxation on tips and overtime.

“Washington became a telenovela and every working family paid for each episode,” she said.

De La Cruz labeled her opponent Bobby Pulido, a Tejano musician who has appeared at quinceñeras and concerts around the district, a “corrupt, liberal celebrity.” And she attacked him over his former employment of a bandmate who is a registered sex offender.

“When Bobby Pulido isn’t endangering our families, he and the radicals in his party are trying to make life harder for them — higher taxes, higher prices and open borders,” De La Cruz said.

— Gabby Birenbaum

Talarico counterprograms RNC at grocery drive

James Talarico announced at an event Wednesday afternoon that a statewide grocery drive he kicked off over the weekend brought in over 20,000 pounds of groceries.

Comparing the cost of a ticket to the RNC convention to his food drive, the Democrat touted the contrast between the events.

“In just three days, our Love Thy Neighbor Grocery Drive has brought together thousands of people across the state,” Talarico said in a statement. “While corrupt politicians and their billionaire mega-donors pay $20,000 for a ticket into a Billionaire Ball, I’m proud to announce our campaign has collected over 20,000 pounds of groceries for working Texans. That’s real relief for Texas families who’ve been screwed over by corrupt politicians raising the price of everything.”

— Gabby Birenbaum

Illinois Gov. Pritzker joins Texas Democratic Party chair to launch Dallas pushback

Democrats kicked off their counter programming to the Republican convention in Dallas on Wednesday with a news conference featuring Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a widely anticipated 2028 presidential contender, and Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder. The presser was the first in a series of planned Democratic events this week meant to counter the GOP convention.

Pritzker and Scudder both bashed what they called the GOP’s corruption and lack of action to improve everyday people’s lives, along with the mid-decade push to gerrymander congressional lines in their favor.

“This bizarre Republican midterm convention here can’t paper over the fact that Republicans have done nothing to earn your vote,” Pritzker said. “In this moment, when America needs a new generation of leaders, fighters willing to stand up against tyranny, Texas Democrats have stepped into the breach.”

Pritzker, who hosted Texas House Democrats in Illinois last summer when they staged a walkout to delay passage of the state’s new congressional map, credited the lawmakers for kicking off the national resistance to the GOP’s redistricting effort.

After sounding a note of praise for the Democratic nominees for U.S. Senate and governor, James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa, Pritzker disparaged Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz — “each one a poster child for bad governance, bad morals and bad vibes, respectively.”

Pritzker sidestepped a question about whether a new PAC he launched would funnel money to help Talarico’s bid, saying he supported Talarico’s campaign along with those of other Texas Democrats on the ballot. The PAC has announced plans to spend in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District opposing the Republican nominee, gun rights activist Brandon Herrera. 

Democratic candidate for Tarrant County Judge Alisa Simmons and Houston Controller Chris Hollins also spoke at the news conference, emphasizing the need for voters to pay attention to down-ballot races. 

“Tarrant County is the epicenter of Trump’s Project 2025,” Simmons said as country music blared from the convention center venue next door. “While these people are in town partying — I keep hearing the music — we are out fighting. We’re knocking on doors or on the phones, and we are encouraging people to look at the party who is about their business, who knows what the mission is.”

— Kayla Guo

Read these Texas Tribune stories to catch up on the U.S. Senate race

Texas Democrats have been in the wilderness since 2018, when Beto O’Rourke came within a few points of unseating Sen. Ted Cruz. But after years of proclaiming that Texas was on the verge of turning blue, Democrats appear to have a genuine shot this year in James Talarico’s Senate bid against Republican Ken Paxton.

The race has attracted plenty of national attention, most recently around the question of whether President Donald Trump and other Republicans in Washington will ride to Paxton’s defense. The attorney general has been outspent and trailed by narrow margins in most polls, putting the GOP in jeopardy of losing its first statewide race since 1994.

Here are several Texas Tribune stories from recent weeks to catch you up on the latest twists and turns in what’s emerged as one of the nation’s marquee midterm races. And make sure to check out our polling and campaign finance trackers.

MAGA Inc. cavalry arrives for Paxton in Texas Senate as Trump’s PAC places $10 million ad buy, by Gabby Birenbaum

Elon Musk’s super PAC starts spending to boost Ken Paxton in Texas, by Will Hammann

John Cornyn is raising money for competitive Senate races — just not in Texas, by Gabby Birenbaum

Talarico floods Texas airwaves in U.S. Senate race as Paxton, GOP stay quiet, by Gabby Birenbaum

Ken Paxton omits rental income and mortgages from financial disclosures, obscuring his wealth, by Zach Despart, Kayla Guo and Alexandra Glorioso, via The Texas Tribune and ProPublica

And finally, the Tribune’s coverage of the candidates’ dueling affordability plans:

Ken Paxton unveils economic plan centered on tax breaks in U.S. Senate race, by Gabby Birenbaum

James Talarico rolls out economic agenda that takes aim at “false Gospel of trickle-down economics”, by Kayla Guo

— Jasper Scherer

RNC releases convention schedule. See when Abbott, Paxton and more are speaking

The Republican National Committee announced its schedule for speeches from the convention stage, which features prominent Texas politicians on both nights in Dallas.

The first Texan to hit the stage will be Heather Washburne, a co-chair of the Dallas 2026 Host Committee who has long been active in Dallas Republican circles. Following her in the 3 p.m. hour of the convention Wednesday will be Prestonwood Baptist Church Senior Pastor Jack Graham, who was a member of Sen. John Cornyn’s Faith Advisory Council during the Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate. Attorney General Ken Paxton is a member of the Plano-based church.

Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, and her brother Carlos De La Cruz, the GOP candidate for San Antonio-based Congressional District 35, will also address the convention in the 3 p.m. hour Wednesday. Both are in competitive, majority-Hispanic South Texas congressional races that Democrats are hoping to flip in November.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, a former state representative from the Dallas area, will also speak in the first hour.

U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Flower Mound, a freshman lawmaker and rising GOP star, will kick off the 5 p.m. hour. Later in the hour, National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez — who endorsed Cornyn but quickly backed Paxton after the runoff and introduced the attorney general at a rally in McAllen — will take the stage. 

Perez will be followed by Paxton himself. Running in a competitive race, many of the biggest names at the convention — and especially President Donald Trump himself — are working to help Paxton defeat James Talarico, including via fundraising and ad spending on his behalf.

Speakers in the 6 p.m. hour — and subsequent ones — will be competing with the NFL. The 2026 season kicks off at 6:20 p.m. with a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.

Wednesday will close with a keynote address from Trump in the 8 p.m. hour.

Thursday will open with Washburne again, as well as Senior Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas. Jeffress was a member of Cornyn’s Faith Advisory Council, as well.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s speech will close the 3 p.m. hour Thursday.

In the 4 p.m. hour, convention-goers will hear from two more South Texas congressional candidates in tight races — Eric Flores in the 34th Congressional District and Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina in the 28th Congressional District. Both are running against Democratic incumbents who have previously held their seats even as Trump won them in 2024, but which were redrawn to contain more Trump voters.

Sen. Ted Cruz, who will become the state’s senior senator come 2027 and is a potential presidential candidate, will close out the hour.

Gov. Greg Abbott will speak in the 5 p.m. hour, which will also feature a tribute to conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Finally, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, a former Democrat turned Republican, will speak in the 7 p.m. hour. Vice President JD Vance and Trump will close the convention out Thursday.

—  Gabby Birenbaum

Editor’s note: This post has been updated to reflect the correct time zone for Trump’s Wednesday keynote and for the speakers slated for the 5 p.m. hour.

Paxton to run new ad during convention featuring AI-generated Talarico

Attorney General Ken Paxton rolled out an AI-generated ad aimed at convention watchers Tuesday, highlighting controversial comments his opponent James Talarico has made, alongside a fundraising appeal.

The ad features an AI-generated Talarico coloring in a Bible and saying altered versions of the Austin Democrat’s past comments about his interpretation of Christianity. Republicans have seized on many of these remarks throughout Talarico’s U.S. Senate run.

“In the beginning, God was nonbinary, and he wasn’t a Christian — and God said, let there be six genders,” the AI-generated version of Talarico says in the ad. 

Talarico said in a 2021 speech that God is nonbinary, which he characterized later as a provocative comment meant to indicate that God is beyond gender. In a debate over transgender athletes in the Texas House in 2021, Talarico said, “modern science recognizes that there are many more than two biological sexes — in fact, there are six.”

The Democrat referred to the comments Republicans have clipped as “cringey” earlier this year, saying some “missed the mark.”

The 30-second spot includes a QR code in the corner linking to Paxton’s WinRed fundraising page. The Republican has significantly lagged Talarico in both fundraising and campaign spending; Paxton raised $9 million in the second quarter of 2026 to Talarico’s $30 million.

Paxton’s campaign said the ad will air nationwide on Newsmax, a conservative television network, during the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas.

“His views are an insult to millions of faithful Texans, and it’s time for his extremist views to be exposed,” the attorney general said in a statement.

— Gabby Birenbaum

GOP’s “Trumpapalooza” convention to kick off Wednesday in Dallas

Republicans are gathering in Dallas this week for their first ever midterm convention, putting Texas at the center of the political world during the state’s most competitive election cycle in years.

The two-day gathering, at the American Airlines Center on the edge of downtown, will feature Texas’ top GOP elected officials and candidates, including Attorney General Ken Paxton, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Republican nominees in key battleground districts will also address the convention, as will President Donald Trump, who is closing out both nights — Wednesday and Thursday — with speeches.

National Republicans have branded the event as a “Trumpapalooza,” with a clear goal of energizing GOP voters during a difficult midterm environment — especially the MAGA types who have proven unreliable when Trump is not on the ballot. Republicans are also hoping to stock their campaign coffers during the convention, with five-figure ticket costs and fundraisers throughout the week.

Read more from the Tribune’s story previewing the event.

— Gabby Birenbaum and Kayla Guo