BUFFALO, N.Y. — As Republicans gather in Dallas for the party’s first-ever midterm convention, Western New York’s two Republican members of Congress are taking different approaches to the high-profile event.
Rep. Claudia Tenney is in Dallas for the two-day gathering, while Rep. Nick Langworthy is staying home. Langworthy’s spokesperson told 7 News, “He is focused on his work in the district.”
Tenney, meanwhile, is attending the convention, although she does not have a speaking role on the published program. Her campaign did not respond to a request for an interview.
7 News Political Analyst Bob McCarthy said neither Tenney nor Langworthy necessary needed to be in attendance.
"You've got Langworthy who probably feels he's okay, doesn't need to go and do this," McCarthy said. "Tenney, she's okay, too, but I think she just feels more of a need, I guess, to be there and fawn all over Donald Trump the way all of these other thousands of Republicans are going to do."
The focus will be on President Trump
The split comes as President Donald Trump puts himself at the center of the Republican Party’s effort to hold onto congressional power in the November midterm elections. The convention, being held Wednesday and Thursday at the American Airlines Center, is expected to feature more than 100 speakers and has been designed in large part as an opportunity to energize the Republican base and rally support for GOP candidates across the country.
Trump is the star attraction, with it already being called "Trumpapalooza." He delivers the keynote address Wednesday night, with his remarks scheduled for 9 p.m. He is then expected to make closing remarks on the convention's second night after Vice President J.D. Vance's keynote address.
"I think what they're doing is trying to reinforce Trump and talk about all of the positives that they see in his time in office and what lies ahead," McCarthy said. "He's got some real problems right now, but I think what they're trying to do is counteract those problems with the biggest propaganda show you're ever going to see.
Political convention versus NFL season kickoff
The timing of the convention also puts Republicans in competition for viewers’ attention with the start of the NFL season, which kicks off Wednesday night with the Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots, followed Thursday by the San Francisco 49ers facing the Los Angeles Rams in the league’s first regular-season game in Australia. That means both nights of the Republican gathering are sharing the spotlight with football as the GOP tries to command national attention.
"I don't understand it," McCarthy said. "There's no reason for them to do that, and there's no reason for them to look bad when they look at the ratings on this thing and see that football is going to far outpace this infomercial."
