1996 Republican National Convention
The 1996 Republican National Convention convened at the San Diego Convention Center (SDCC) in San Diego, California, from August 12 to August 15, 1996. The convention nominated former Senator Bob Dole from Kansas, for president and former Representative and secretary of Housing and Urban Development Jack Kemp, from suburban Buffalo, New York, for vice president.
Convention
Musical performances[edit]
Among the musical performances at the convention was an August 15 performance by the "Singing Senators" (Senators Trent Lott, John Ashcroft, Larry Craig, and Jim Jeffords) who sang a barbershop quartet version of the song Elvira in dedication to Elizabeth Dole.[17]
Vice presidential nominating vote[edit]
New York Governor George Pataki placed Jack Kemp's name into nomination, after which the former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development was nominated by voice vote.
Impact[edit]
On August 16, the day after the close convention, John Marelius of the San Diego Union-Tribune characterized different polls as showing conflicting indicators as to whether Dole was rising or declining in the polls.[27]
Ever since the 1996 election, in which both the Democratic and Republican conventions featured the spouses of the presidential nominees as speakers, it has become standard practice that both major parties feature the spouses of their presidential nominees as convention speakers.[35]