{"id":2654168,"date":"2026-09-03T14:40:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T18:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-midterm-convention-organizers-make-last-minute-push-to-fill-seats\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T14:44:59","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T18:44:59","slug":"gop-midterm-convention-organizers-make-last-minute-push-to-fill-seats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-midterm-convention-organizers-make-last-minute-push-to-fill-seats\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP midterm convention organizers make last-minute push to fill seats"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgop-midterm-convention-organizers-make-last-minute-push-to-fill-seats%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2654168&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Less than a week before the 2026 Republican midterm convention in Dallas, organizers are still trying to sell tickets amid concerns about high prices and low enthusiasm. Despite the event&#8217;s large capacity of over 21,000, last-minute ticket availability has raised questions, especially as prominent candidates are not attending. The RNC has taken a more direct role in organizing the event, deviating from usual practices, but faces criticism over attendance issues and ticket costs. many party members find the prices steep, with some declining to attend due to costs reaching up to $7,000, compared to approximately $3,000 for the 2024 convention. The RNC has tried various measures like a lottery for free tickets, but tiered pricing, including high-priced VIP options, persists with concerns about commercialization. Critics view the convention as a potential \u201cgrift,\u201d and warn this approach could set a problematic precedent for future party events, especially given financial strains on state parties.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"h-less-than-a-week-until-party-faithful-gather-in-dallas-for-the-inaugural-republican-midterm-convention-the-event-s-organizers-are-still-trying-to-offload-tickets-amid-concerns-about-the-price-of-admission-to-what-they-are-calling-trumpalooza\">Less than a week until party faithful gather in Dallas for the 2026 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11675\">Republican midterm convention<\/a>, the event\u2019s organizers are still trying to offload tickets amid concerns about the price of admission to what is being called \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4\">Trumpalooza<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A political operative familiar with RNC convention planning told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that organizers held a call this week and told participants that tickets were still available. According to the source, the last-minute availability was notable given that the convention is set to begin Tuesday at the American Airlines Center, which can hold more than 21,000 people.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4712051\/gop-midterm-convention-organizers-late-push-fill-arena\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Republican midterm convention organizers make last-minute push to fill arena for Trump<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4711430\/trump-doing-too-much-people-struggling-bob-cusack\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump is doing \u2018too much\u2019 and people are struggling: Bob Cusack<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4707767\/pro-choice-ad-campaign-susan-collins\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Pro-choice group launches ad campaign against Susan Collins<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen I brought up the point back in December, I said, \u2018How in the heck are you going to get 16,000 people to come to a midterm convention with no notice?\u2019\u201d the operative said, comparing the lead time to the almost four years of preparation that normally go into a presidential election year convention.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe planners had a call briefing us on stuff [Tuesday] and last Tuesday, and, at the end of the call, they said, \u2018Oh, and by the way, if you know anybody who wants to come, we\u2019ve got tickets,\u2019\u201d the operative added. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Are you kidding? This is what I told you would happen in December.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-national-committee\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"2059\">Republican National Committee<\/a> has assumed much of the responsibility for organizing the midterm convention. The hands-on approach by the RNC presents something of a break from the normal operating procedure for planning the party\u2019s presidential nominating convention every four years, where much of the work is done by state parties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The changeover has not been smooth, however. Questions have emerged over whether the RNC has generated sufficient grassroots enthusiasm for the convention, especially as even some high-profile, battleground candidates are not attending.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sources told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, for instance, that neither Wisconsin GOP gubernatorial nominee <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tom-tiffany\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"21412\">Tom Tiffany<\/a> nor Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/susan-collins\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1302\">Susan Collins<\/a> (R-ME), who is seeking reelection this year, will be in Dallas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">RNC spokeswoman Natalie Baldassarre pushed back on the convention having attendance issues, saying that President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> \u201cis one of the greatest showmen in history, and we fully expect to have a spectacular showing in Dallas draw a massive viewership.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are also concerns about the high cost of tickets for attendance.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re trying to make it as affordable as possible to the party faithful,\u201d the political operative said. \u201cEven if you\u2019re passionate about this stuff, you\u2019re asking people to take essentially a week off from work, Labor Day week, and then go to Dallas and spend, you know, $1,000, $2,000. So it makes sense that people are going, \u2018I\u2019m already working on a race back home in my congressional district, and I got doors to knock on and phone calls to make, money to raise.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An Ohio Republican county party chair told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that their $7,000 ticket price for the convention was part of the reason they declined to attend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt seems to me, the package hotel and tickets was going to be about $7,000, and that\u2019s a little more than I wanted to pay out of pocket,\u201d the chair said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In contrast, the 2024 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-national-convention\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"2363\">Republican National Convention<\/a> cost the chair approximately $3,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd I was able to drive there from Ohio,\u201d the chair added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The RNC has sought to address the ticket problem through a range of initiatives, including launching a lottery for free tickets last month. Winners of the lottery were notified on Friday.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, most state Republican parties have been selling their tickets through a tiered system of pricing, though with different costs. Some state parties are charging $250,000 for high-level VIP access during the event.\u00a0For instance, honorary delegate status for the Denton County Republican Party, outside of Dallas, costs $20,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4708146\/gop-anxiety-trump-midterm-money-too-late\/\"><strong>GOP ANXIETY GROWS THAT TRUMP MIDTERM MONEY WILL BE SPENT TOO LATE \u2014 OR NOT AT ALL<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A former RNC member criticized the convention as a \u201cgrift by party committees and adjacent groups desperate to sell whatever access they still can to donors who haven\u2019t already maxed out this cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt also sets a dangerous precedent for the real conventions going forward, particularly with so many state parties broke,\u201d the source told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cWill they try to monetize 2028 by selling delegate passes the way they sold access to this?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RNC struggles to sell tickets for Dallas midterm convention<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2920,"featured_media":2654169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/AP26234036420885-1.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[19752,6203,7427],"class_list":["post-2654168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-convention","tag-gop","tag-midterm"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/AP26234036420885-1.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2654168"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2654171,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654168\/revisions\/2654171"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2654169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2654168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2654168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2654168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}