DALLAS — Republicans spent their national midterm convention rallying the party faithful around a familiar warning: Give Democrats control of Congress and the country will lurch sharply left. At the Republican National Committee gathering at the American Airlines Center, President Donald Trump and senior party officials repeatedly described Democratic candidates as dangerous, extreme and aligned with communism. The rhetoric was aimed at energizing the lower-turnout voters who helped return Trump to the White House in 2024. “If they win, the greatest legislative body in history will, for the first time ever, be controlled by a communist caucus,” Trump told convention attendees Wednesday. North Carolina Senate nominee Michael Whatley framed the contest as “common sense versus crazy,” while Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, called Democratic candidates “the most dangerous, radical and frankly weird” in American history. The message was reflected in the convention crowd. Attendees wore MAGA hats and anti-communist merchandise, including one shirt emblazoned “America No Commies!” Republicans’ emphasis on attacking Democrats comes despite the political importance of the economy. Polling cited at the convention shows the cost of living remains voters’ leading concern by a wide margin. GOP speakers pointed to tax cuts passed last year and other Trump economic policies, but the party’s affirmative case for lowering prices received less attention than its warnings about the opposition. Republican advertising has followed the same pattern. Ad-tracking firm AdImpact estimated that GOP candidates, committees and aligned political action committees spent $267.8 million on television advertising in competitive House and Senate races from Aug. 1 onward. About $130 million of that spending was classified as negative, while $91.2 million mentioned taxes or taxation, the most common economic theme. The strategy is designed to nationalize races and turn the election into a referendum on Democratic ideology rather than a judgment on the party currently in power. Vice President JD Vance told Republican delegates from battleground states Thursday that the party needed to “talk about all the crazy things Democrats are doing.” At a private donor luncheon hosted by the Senate Leadership Fund, Republican leaders also sought to blunt concerns about tariffs on Canada and the war in Iran by stressing the consequences of a Democratic takeover. The party is playing defense in several races, including contests in Iowa, Texas, Alaska and Kansas—states where Republicans have recently enjoyed substantial advantages. Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. announced Thursday that Vance would campaign in Kansas for Sen. Roger Marshall, whose reelection race has become more competitive than expected. Kansas has not elected a Democratic senator in more than 90 years. Some Republicans acknowledged that opposition to Democrats will not be enough. Bill Riggs, a spokesman for the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity Action, said the party must offer voters a credible alternative alongside its attacks. Michigan congressional candidate Mike Bouchard delivered a similar message from the convention stage: “It’s not enough just to defend. We must advance, and to do that, we must have real solutions.” Trump also offered one of the few major forward-looking proposals, pledging a $5,000 dividend for every adult if Republicans retain control of Congress. The idea reportedly drew skepticism from some House Republicans, who noted that a government payment could undercut their effort to portray Democrats as advocates of socialism. The political risk is clear. Democrats in 2024 emphasized the threat posed by Trump and argued that inflation was easing, but voters still punished them over the economy. Republicans suffered a similar backlash in 2010 after relying heavily on attacks and assurances that economic conditions would improve. With the midterms approaching, the Dallas convention showed a Republican Party confident in its ability to mobilize its base—but still under pressure to explain how its policies will make groceries, housing and other household bills more affordable.