2008 Republican National Convention
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Possible Sites
On June 10, 2006 the Republican National Committee announced that Cleveland; Minneapolis; New York City; and Tampa were the finalist cities for the party's convention. However, it has been stated by many that that the convention should be held in New Orleans at the Superdome in an effort to breathe life back into the city. Also New York might not be likely due to the massive protests and overall chilly reception to the convention being held there by New Yorkers. The host city will be chosen before February, 2007. [link]
Possible Candidates
The 2008 Republican National Convention is a political event that the Republican Party will hold from Monday, September 1, to Thursday, September 4, 2008. It is too early to know details about this event, such as who the candidates will be, where the convention will be held, who the speakers will be, and most importantly of all, who will be nominated for President and Vice-President. It is not even known yet who will be technically eligible to run for President: some are seeking a constitutional amendment to allow foreign-born American citizens (such as California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger) to run for President. Political trivia buffs will recall the similar effort to repeal the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to allow President Reagan to seek a third term; it did not gather much support and was quickly dropped especially after Reagan himself stated that he was ready to leave.
Assuming there are no constitutional amendments changing the eligibility to serve as President, possible Republican Presidential nominees include Senator George Allen of Virginia; Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas; Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee; Newt Gingrich, the Speaker of the House from 1995-1999; Rudy Guiliani, the Mayor of New York City from 1994-2001; Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska; Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas; Governor George Pataki of New York; Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota; Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Senator John McCain of Arizona; and Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado. Vice President Dick Cheney has repeatedly said that he will not be a candidate. The possibility of the Democrats nominating former First Lady Hillary Clinton, now a U.S. Senator from New York, has led to speculation about the Republicans nominating First Lady Laura Bush, but this is not widely taken seriously.
The Conservative Political Action Conference held a poll among its attendees and yielded the following results in answer to the question "Who do you think will be the next Republican nominee for President?": [link]
- George Allen: 22%
- John McCain: 20%
- Rudy Giuliani: 12%
- Condoleezza Rice: 10%
- Bill Frist: 6%
- Tom Tancredo: 5%
- Newt Gingrich: 5%
- Rick Santorum: 3%
- George Pataki: 3%
- Undecided: 4%
The 2006 midterm elections may prove to be a key factor in determining the nomination. A strong Republican showing will vindicate President Bush and increase the likelihood of widespread support for a Bush family member or appointee or another Bush-like conservative such as Frist or Brownback. A weak Republican showing and/or a situation where the party loses seats in the House and Senate could increase the likelihood of someone who is not closely connected with the Bush Administration or someone more moderate getting the nod such as McCain or Giuliani.
| Preceded by: 2004 New York | Republican National Conventions | Followed by: 2012 (not yet decided) |
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