Eryn Brennan
\nIn Motion Staff Writer<\/p>\n
Slowly but surely, the primary season is starting to wind down and that means it\u2019s almost convention time. At the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, a candidate will officially be nominated to represent their party in the general election.<\/p>\n
A lot has been said of the possibility that there will be a contested Republican National Convention. Many have argued that none of the three remaining candidates will get the necessary amount of delegates needed to secure the nomination.<\/p>\n
If that were to happen, Dr. T. Wayne Bailey, the Volusia County Democratic Party\u2019s state committeeman and a professor of political science at Stetson University, explained that, \u201cIf there is not a majority, then it becomes an open convention and the delegates that are pledged to vote for a certain candidate are released at some point where they can vote for whomever they please.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the possibility of a contested DNC, Dr. Bailey said, \u201cIt could happen, but most likely it\u2019s less likely to happen with the Democrats than with the Republicans.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you ask the Volusia County Republican Party\u2019s chairman, Tony Ledbetter, however, there won\u2019t be a contested RNC.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only people talking and pushing the idea that there will be a contested convention are your more establishment-type Republicans who don\u2019t like the two choices that they have or it\u2019s the news media that wants to keep this idea stirred up because it keeps the people stirred up and it keeps the people watching their programs and it keeps their ratings high,” he said.<\/p>\n
He went on to explain that, according to the Republican National Committee\u2019s rules for this year\u2019s RNC, rule number 40 says that to be the nominee, a candidate must win the majority of delegates in at least eight states.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to note that the committee can make changes to the rules before the convention, although Ledbetter doesn\u2019t believe that\u2019s a scenario that will come to fruition.<\/p>\n
Contested or not, both conventions will be interesting to watch, partly because if things don\u2019t go Donald Trump\u2019s way, he almost definitely won\u2019t be going quietly, but also because both the Democrats and Republicans will be making their cases for why their party should win the White House on Nov 8. For those who still aren\u2019t sure which party is most in line with their beliefs, the conventions are a great way to find out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe convention actually is one way of determining the direction of public policies. For example, the platform of the two parties students should study because they affect their interests, their concerns, their priorities,\u201d said Dr. Bailey.<\/p>\n
The Democratic National Convention will be held in Philadelphia July 25-28 and the Republican National Convention will be held in Cleveland July 18-21.<\/p>\n
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Eryn Brennan In Motion Staff Writer Slowly but surely, the primary season is starting to wind down and that means it\u2019s almost convention time. At the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, a candidate will officially be nominated to represent their party in the general election. A lot has been said Continue reading Students Decide 2016: Conventions bring possibility for conflict<\/span>