Both major parties recently set the dates for their 2012 national conventions. The 2012 general election is on November 6.
The Republicans will meet August 27-30, and the Democrats will meet September 3-6. Both major parties will be able to comply with state certification deadlines, which is some states are 60 days before the election. Sixty days before the 2012 general election works out to September 7.
The location for these conventions will be determined in the next six months.
It’s because no one wants to get stuck with having the convention be drowned out by the olympic games.
The Olympics are over a century old. The two major parties during most of the 20th century had their conventions in June and early July, and they could do so again. All presidential primaries are over by the first week in June.
States should switch to direct nominating primaries.
I think all the 3rd parties should have their convention early so that they can start campaigning early.
This could probably cause some difficulties to the states in the process of printing absentee ballots.
Will the troops fighting the BARBARIANS in Asia get their ballots on time ???
It does seem that the major party conventions are getting later and later. I remember being at the Democratic Convention in 1972 in July. (Believe me you do not want to be in Miami in July) In recent years it seems like the challengers were in July and the incumbents were in August. But August and September…there is no down time before the campaign starts.
The GOPs and DEMs made a huge mistake in turning these events into bland pep rallys. All the drama is gone. Nobody wants to watch them and I don’t blame the networks for not wanting to show them any longer(as dramatised in an episode of “West Wing”)
Richard: I have vague memories of listening to the Democratic Convention in LA in 1960 on the radio while I was with my parents travelling up the Alaka Highway in June of that year. But I have thought that couldn’t be because conventions are normally in July. Based on what you are saying it could be…so when was the Demo. Covention that year? I know nobody cares..except me.
The convention was July 11 – July 15, 1960. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_Democratic_National_Convention
I recall that Vice President Richard Nixon made his acceptance speech at the Republican convention on July 28, 1960.
Back then, there was still some drama, as Gary notes. At the 1960 Democratic convention, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson debated each other before a joint meeting of the Massachusetts and Texas delegations. Kennedy was his usual witty self.
Nixon basically had the ’68 Republican nomination wrapped up by the time of the convention. But NY Gov. Nelson Rockefeller was still in the race, and California Gov. Ronald Reagan jumped into the race at the convention. Nixon got the requisite votes near the end of the first ballot.
And of course, the ’76 Republican conventon was full of high drama– until Reagan’s forces lost the test vote on the party rule.
In 1955 the two major parties lobbied state legislatures for later deadlines. Prior to 1955, there was never a major party presidential convention as late as August, (except for the Democrats in 1864).
The earliest major party presidential convention was the Whig convention for 1840, which was held December 4-7, 1839.
Richard:
Do you happen to know the earliest date a MINOR party Presidential Convention was held? Specifically a party which ultimately ended up on enough state ballots to theoretically win the race (50% + 1 Electoral votes).
I was there in St. Louis at the beginning of September in 1999 when the U. S. Taxpayer’s Party nominated Howard Phillips for the third time for President and formally changed it’s name to the Constitution Party.
According to Michael Holt’s book on the Whig Party, that 1839 convention met at Harrisburg, PA.
The Antimasons held the first such convention in September 1831 to nominate their 1832 presidential candidate. Only 13 states were represented.
The National Republicans– most of whom joined the Whig Party when it was later founded– met in December 1831 and nominated Henry Clay for the 1832 election.
The first convention of what is today called the Democratic Party renominated Andrew Jackson in May 1832.
The Democrats held their convention for 1836 in May 1835. They did not convene again until May 1840.
#11, I don’t know the answer. It might very well be the Constitution Party 1999 national convention, but it would be virtually tied with Libertarian Party national conventions held in 1975, 1979, 1983, 1987, and 1991, all Labor Day conventions.
April 7th, 2010 at 7:14 am
The convention was July 11 – July 15, 1960. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_Democratic_National_Convention
Thanks…Hmmm…well then I guess have a bit of a faulty memory about the summer of 1960. I was only 8 that year, but it was fun later that year putting Kennedy bumper stickers over Nixon stickers on peoples cars. Really infuriated some folks. So the Republicans were not the only ones who engaged in dirty tricks.
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