The first candidate to speak at the convention today is Laurie Buckhout of North Carolina, one of the Republicans who stands to gain the most from the Trump-led effort to redraw U.S. congressional districts ahead of the midterms. Buckhout is in a rematch against Democrat Rep. Don Davis, described by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report as "without a doubt the most vulnerable House Democrat in the country." She lost by less than 2 percentage points in 2024, but redistricting has given her more favorable terrain-a district that Trump would have won by 12 points in 2024, in the Cook Report's calculations.

Buckhout, a retired Army colonel, touted Republican-passed tax cuts, among them new limits on taxes on tips, and castigated Democrats for voting against tax relief. "They voted against your paycheck. They voted against you," she told the convention.

In August, the betting site Kalshi imposed a three-year ban and $2,590 penalty on Buckout for buying less than $1,000 worth of contracts related to her candidacy. "I bet on myself," Buckhout said at the time, saying she worked to fix the "dumb mistake" once she learned there was an issue.