ABC News, August 2024
It’s a presidential election year, which means the party conventions are a fixture on the summer schedules of every political pundit and reporter. In the past, the big conventions were gatherings where the party faithful hashed out who would be their nominee. But in the modern primary era, the candidates have (in almost every case) already been determined by the results of primaries and caucuses, and their nomination at the convention is merely a formality. So while delegates from around the country still gather to officialize both their nominee and their parties’ policy platforms, the prime-time, televised speeches are essentially campaign events.
Given the widespread media coverage, the conventions offer each party four nights in the spotlight to dominate the news cycle, and the conventional wisdom would suggest this is a prime opportunity to win over potential voters to their cause. But do voters tune in? And do these convention stump speeches manage to persuade those who watch?
