USA TODAY International Edition
IT’S OFFICIAL: THE OUTSIDER IS IN
Son is given party spotlight to announce good news for Trump
After 56 primaries and caucuses, 17 major candidates and $ 614.3 million in campaign spending, the Republican Party finally nominated its candidate for president of the United States on Tuesday in a tightly controlled roll call vote.
That nominee — with the “presumptive” label no longer attached — is the New York billionaire, reality television star and anti- politician Donald Trump.
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., was given the honor of putting his father over the 1,237- delegate threshold needed to cinch the nomination. “Congratulations, Dad! We love you!” he exclaimed from his front- row seat in the New York delegation. Most delegates burst into raucous applause as Frank Sinatra’s New York, New
York played on the loudspeakers, and a few remaining Trump opponents sat on their hands.
After Trump supporters put down an insurgent attempt to change the rules Monday, Trump’s name was the only one placed in nomination, so the outcome was preordained as the convention secretary, Susie Hudson of Vermont, called the roll of
convention.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a 2016 candidate who may consider another run in the future, has not entered the convention hall, even though it is in his home state.
Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, who is believed to harbor national ambitions and has compared the Trump campaign to a dumpster fire, is staying away from Cleveland altogether.
Still, Trump’s program has its share of speakers who might want to headline their own convention some day. On Monday night, Cotton, a senator from Arkansas, discussed his military and national security experience on a convention opening night devoted to the theme “Make America Safe Again.”
The Republican convention agenda also includes 2016 candidates who may want to try again in 2020 or 2024, depending on whether Trump wins in November. They include Sen. Cruz of Texas, Gov. Walker of Wisconsin, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Another 2016 candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, is expected to address the convention via video.
Ryan, the party’s 2012 vice presidential nominee and a possible candidate for the top spot in the future, will also address Trump’s convention on Tuesday.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who has considered a presidential race in previous years, will give a highprofile speech this week as Trump’s newly- minted running mate.
Some of these politicians will hope to follow in the footsteps of previous convention speakers who fueled their careers with strong convention performances — a group headlined by Barack Obama.
The 2004 keynote address by then- U. S. Senate candidate Obama on behalf of Democratic nominee John Kerry made the Illinois state legislator a national political figure, Many historians see that speech as his first step to the White House.
During the 1964 Republican convention, a gathering roiled by Trump- like tempests over the nomination of arch- conservative Barry Goldwater, former vice president Richard Nixon did himself some political good with a well- received speech preaching party unity.
Four years later, Nixon himself won the presidency.
Franklin Roosevelt’s 1924 convention speech nominating New York Gov. Al Smith — an address delivered three years after FDR contracted polio — re- established him as a major political force, eight years before his own election as president.
There are other convention opportunities beyond speeches. Candidates who may be thinking about future presidential campaigns make their way to delegation meetings of specific states — particularly Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, which will likely again hold early delegate selection contests in 2020 or 2024.
Of course, convention appearances don’t always help. Keynote addresses by then- Gov. Evan Bayh, D- Ind., in 1996 and Sen. Phil Gramm, R- Texas, in 1992 did not enhance their presidential prospects.
Bad convention speeches aren’t necessarily fatal, either. Bill Clinton gave a long and poorly-reviewed nominating speech for Michael Dukakis, but still claimed the presidency four years later.
Hemmer, a political historian, said the value of convention speeches fluctuates depending on how well known the speaker already is.
“Someone obscure is elevated by being featured on prime time,” she said. “If you’re well- known, I think the performance has to be spectacular to have a noticeable difference.”
Hemmer added a caveat: “Increasingly, there are so many different venues to gain political celebrity that the convention speech may be waning in importance.”