GOP Convention Archives

GOP Convention Viewership Down Sharply from 2016

July 18, 2024 Buck Banks

18.1 million

Despite Donald Trump’s dramatic appearance days after an assassination attempt, the opening night of the Republican National Convention drew in five million fewer viewers than the first night of the convention back in 2016 – when he became the party’s presidential candidate for the first time. According to Nielsen, Monday night’s coverage of the event in Milwaukee drew 18.1 million viewers across 12 broadcasters and cable networks, down from 23 million viewers across seven networks in 2016, reported The Independent.

Anti-Clinton Sentiment Far Outweighs Pro-Trump Support

July 20, 2016 Buck Banks

13

Of the 19 scheduled speeches on Tuesday night were mostly anti-Clinton (Sharon Day, Asa Hutchinson, Leslie Rutledge, Michael Mukasey, Ron Johnson, Chris Cox, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, Chris Christie, Shelley Moore Capito, Ben Carson, and Kimberlin Brown), reported First Read. “That’s compared with six that we viewed as being mostly pro-Trump (Dana White, Andy Wist, Natalie Gulbis, Tiffany Trump, Kerry Woolard, and Donald Trump Jr.) What do those six speakers have in common? They aren’t GOP politicians or politicos. All of last night’s pro-Trump speeches came from Trump’s family, friends, and business associates.”

Play ‘Republican National Convention Bingo’

July 18, 2016 Buck Banks

Courtesy of Stephen Colbert and the “Late Show” there is a way for disgruntled Republicans to have fun during the Trump-vention.

Trump Explains Why Palin Isn’t on GOP Convention Program

July 15, 2016 Buck Banks

She was asked. It’s a little bit difficult because of where she is. We love Sarah. Little bit difficult because of, you know, it’s a long ways away.

— Donald Trump, explaining why Sarah Palin isn’t included in the official list of speakers for the Republican National Convention next week, quoted by the Washington Examiner.

Another Thing Republicans Would Rather Do than Attend the GOP Convention

July 12, 2016 Buck Banks

I would rather attend the public hanging of a good friend.

— GOP strategist Will Ritter, quoted by Politico, on whether he’ll attend the Republican convention.

— Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who “finds himself in a peculiar situation these days. He’s responsible for helping to safeguard a Republican convention he will not speak at, a nominee he will not support and an arena he probably will not step foot in,” the Washington Post reports.

GOP Voters Favor Candidate with Most Votes for Nominee

April 18, 2016 Buck Banks

62%

Of Republican voters believe that, if no GOP presidential candidate wins a majority of delegates before the convention, the one with the most votes should be the party’s nominee, according to a new NBC/WSJ poll. That’s compared with 33% of Republicans who say the nominee instead should be the candidate whom convention delegates think would be the party’s best standard-bearer.

On Cleveland do the pundits concentrate,
As the nomination equation they calculate.
But what will count at the convention
Is the most important calculation —
What exactly does it cost to buy a delegate?

Cleveland in Market for Riot Gear to Prepare for GOP Convention

March 7, 2016 Buck Banks

2,000

Number of sets of riot gear Cleveland, Ohio, is seeking to buy, “including riot-control suits and collapsible batons, as part of the city’s latest move to spend a $50 million federal security grant for July’s Republican National Convention,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Brokered GOP Convention Looks Ever More Likely

February 1, 2016 Buck Banks

At this point, my gut suggests that by the time we get deep into the process, Trump will appear to have the support of the populist, less ideological third of the GOP, roughly where he is now; Cruz will have consolidated conservatives and roughly one third of the party; a conventional candidate (Bush, Christie, Kasich, or Rubio) will be pulling about a quarter, with the remaining fifth up in the air. That spells a contested convention.

18.1 million

13

She was asked. It’s a little bit difficult because of where she is. We love Sarah. Little bit difficult because of, you know, it’s a long ways away.

— Donald Trump, explaining why Sarah Palin isn’t included in the official list of speakers for the Republican National Convention next week, quoted by the Washington Examiner.

I would rather attend the public hanging of a good friend.

— GOP strategist Will Ritter, quoted by Politico, on whether he’ll attend the Republican convention.

It is odd, isn’t it? It’s going to be strange.

— Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who “finds himself in a peculiar situation these days. He’s responsible for helping to safeguard a Republican convention he will not speak at, a nominee he will not support and an arena he probably will not step foot in,” the Washington Post reports.

62%

2,000

Number of sets of riot gear Cleveland, Ohio, is seeking to buy, “including riot-control suits and collapsible batons, as part of the city’s latest move to spend a $50 million federal security grant for July’s Republican National Convention,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

— Charlie Cook in National Journal

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), accusing Democrats of creating Hurricane Helene for political purposes.

“Liberty in Georgia includes in its meaning, in its protections, and in its bundle of rights the power of a woman to control her own body, to decide what happens to it and in it, and to reject state interference with her healthcare choices.”

— Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney finding that Georgia’s six-week abortion law violates Georgia’s Constitution, reports the AP.

“Maybe we’ll pay off the $35 trillion US debt in crypto. I’ll write on a little piece of paper ‘$35 trillion crypto we have no debt.’ That’s what I like.”

— Donald Trump, floating a plan to address the federal budget deficit and demonstrating his deep understanding of the crypto marketplace.

“To my friends in Nebraska, that one electoral vote could be the difference between Harris being president and not, and she’s a disaster for Nebraska and the world.”

— Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), quoted by Politico, on his trip to Nebraska to push for the state’s Republican leadership to change how it awards its electoral votes.

“I will if he does. That’s a trade-off I’d do.”

— George Clooney, on Jimmy Kimmel Live, responding to Donald Trump’s call for him “to get out of politics.”

Numerati

254,000

“The pace of hiring picked up strongly in September and the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1%, signs the economy had continued momentum in a month the Federal Reserve delivered its first interest-rate cut in four years,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

49% to 44%

A new Susquehanna poll finds Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump nationally among likely voters, 49% to 44%.

40 trillion

$55 million

Kamala Harris raised about $55 million in high-dollar events in California this weekend, a haul that pads her financial advantage over Donald Trump, Bloomberg reports.

57%

A new NBC News poll finds about 57% of voters report feeling negatively about Project 2025, with 51% saying they see the proposal “very” negatively and another 7% saying they view it “somewhat” negatively. Just 4% of voters reported viewing the conservative policy plan positively.