RNC eyes ‘America First’ midterm convention to boost Trump, GOP ahead of critical elections
FIRST ON FOX — The Republican National Committee (RNC) is taking a big step towards holding its first ever midterm convention.The RNC on Thursday advanced a change to the party's...
By Fox News · Fox News
FIRST ON FOX — The Republican National Committee (RNC) is taking a big step towards holding its first ever midterm convention. The RNC on Thursday advanced a change to the party's rules which would allow chairman Joe Gruters "to convene a special ceremonial convention outside a presidential election cycle," according to a memo shared first with Fox News Digital. National political conventions, where party delegates from around the country formally nominate their party's presidential candidates, normally take place during presidential election years. But with Republicans aiming to protect their narrow control of the Senate and their razor-thin House majority in this year's elections, President Donald Trump announced last September that the GOP would hold a convention ahead of the midterms "in order to show the great things we have done" since recapturing the White House. SHOWDOWN FOR THE HOUSE: DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS BRACE FOR HIGH-STAKES MIDTERM CLASH The new memo highlights "the possibility of an America First midterm convention-style gathering aligned with President Trump’s vision for energizing the party this fall." The party in power, which is clearly the Republicans, normally faces stiff political headwinds in the midterms . And the hope among Trump and top Republicans is that a midterm convention would give the GOP a high-profile platform to showcase the president's record and their congressional candidates running in the midterms. The RNC’s rules are currently based around holding a convention every four years. The proposed rule change will allow the RNC to hold a midterm convention. If adopted, the rule states that the convention must be called at least 60 days in advance and no business would be conducted during the gathering. RNC CHAIR BETS ON ‘SECRET WEAPON’ TO DEFY MIDTERM HISTORY, PROTECT GOP MAJORITIES The proposed change was adopted Thursday evening by the RNC's Rules Committee, as the party holds its winter meeting in Santa Barbara, California. It's…