Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to speak at a rally Tuesday in Tyler, his second campaign stop in Texas in two weeks, as Republicans work to mobilize voters ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Gates open at 8 a.m. near the old terminal at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. The event starts at 10 a.m., and Vance is scheduled to take the podium at 11:35 a.m.
The Republican Party did not confirm an official list of speakers in advance of the event, though East Texas Congressman Nathaniel Moran is planning to attend.
Air Force Two is expected to land at the airport in the 10 a.m. hour.
The Federal Aviation Administration has flight restrictions in place from 10 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. within a five-nautical-mile radius of the airport. The only exceptions are for law enforcement and emergency responders.
What’s at stake in Texas
Control of the Senate is on the line, and Texas is in play. Polling shows Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton trailing Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.
The party also is looking for energy behind the governor’s re-election and several U.S. House seats. That means motivating registered Republicans to vote and courting the Latino vote.
Past visits to Tyler
It has been 34 years since a sitting vice president visited Tyler. Vice President Dan Quayle took part in the Texas Rose Festival Parade in 1992.
David Stein, Smith County GOP chair, said Quayle did not give a speech.
“He literally rode in the parade and then headed back out. There was no speech or anything like that,” Stein said. “Other than that, that’s the only sitting vice presidential visit that we’ve had. There have been presidential visits. Gerald Ford was here in 1976, and then George Bush Sr., 41, was here in 1990. Both were sitting presidents, and I’m pretty sure both of those were at TJC in the Wagstaff Auditorium.”
Democratic response and other campaign stops
Vice President Vance recently acknowledged the GOP faces an ‘uphill climb.’
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said Democrats need to act on the momentum.
“You have the most unpopular president in recent memory heading into their midterm election,” Martin said. “And, of course, you know, everywhere around this country, he’s underwater on critical issues. And of course, the American people are rejecting this administration.”
Protests are expected outside the event.
President Donald Trump is also back on the campaign trail as part of a ‘Red State’ blitz. He is traveling to Alaska, which has also become a battleground.
The views expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect the views of KLTV/KTRE-TV or Gray Media. They are solely the opinion of the author. All content © Copyright 2026 Lane Luckie
