Party Nominating Conventions

Thomas Holbrook (1996) estimates that almost a quarter of the electorate decide how to vote during the political party conventions. The highlight of these events are the candidates’ nomination acceptance address, watched by millions of voters. Furthermore, the major television networks provide free television coverage to the political party nominating conventions, although the amount of coverage has dwindled over time. However, it is important to realize that the role these events has changed over time, which in large part probably accounts for the diminished interest by the news media.

Historically, the nominees did not appear at the conventions which nominated them. Democratic nominees responded to the nomination with formal letters of acceptance in the 1830s. About twenty years later, the Democratic nominees made informal speeches accepting the nomination, but these were delivered after the contention. In 1868, Democrat Horatio Seymour delivered the first formal acceptance address; however, again it was not given at the convention. Franklin Roosevelt became the first candidate to attend his party’s national convention and he initiated the tradition of accepting his nomination in person at the convention. From this point on the acceptance speech has become an accepted component of the convention spectacle.

Other changes were coming as well. In the past relatively few states held primaries and the results were not always binding on delegates. Candidates campaigned in a few primaries to show their ability to attract votes, not to win enough votes to secure the nomination. Conventions were still where the nominees were selected, sometimes after many ballots. The Democratic national convention in 1968, held in Chicago, was a turning point. First, President Johnson campaigned but then dropped out of the race. Hubert Humphrey won the Democratic nomination without campaigning in any primary. Furthermore, the Democratic convention was marred by riots and protests. Some believed this divisive atmosphere contributed to Humphrey’s loss to Richard Nixon. Subsequently, the Democratic Party instituted changes which led to more primaries and binding primaries, so the nominee was selected by party members via their primary votes. The Republican Party followed suit. As a result of these changes, the nominees are now determined by primary (and caucus) votes and the nominee is known before the convention occurs.

Thus, conventions have changed from events which select the nominee to events designed to anoint or showcase the nominee and the political party to voters. Because the suspense of who will be the nominee is gone, and because the conventions are generally viewed as PR events, news coverage has declined. Still, the nominee (and others) speak at conventions to a national audience and these events still have impact, although it is diminished from in the past.

Generally, the two most important events at nominating conventions are the nominee’s Acceptance Address and a Keynote Speech given by another member of the party. There are other speeches and events, of course, and in recent years documentary films praising the nominee have also been shown at conventions. Furthermore, the nominee’s spouses have been given a chance to gush over their spouses on national television in recent years.

What do candidates do in these speeches? I will report first the functions (acclaims, or positive statements; attacks, or negative statements; and defenses) and then the topics (policy or character) of these speeches. (Please follow the links on the right.)

Conventions

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Functions of
Acceptance Addresses

Topics of
Acceptance Addresses

Keynotes and
Spouses’
Speeches

2004 Keynotes and Acceptances

2004 Keynotes and Acceptances