Ben Alpers's blog
They're Called Convention Bounces for a Reason
For those of you new to the dynamics of U.S. presidential elections, the Democratic and Republican Conventions each tend to create a “convention bounce”: an increase in the poll numbers for their candidate and his party. The size of these bounces varies from year to year and convention to convention, but the reasons for their existence are clear. While conventions were once where presidential candidates were actual chosen, where party leaders entered the infamous smoke-filled rooms and hashed out the deals that would give someone the majority (or in the case of the Democrats before the 1930s the supermajority) of the delegates necessary to secure the nomination, since the 1970s, there has been little real drama about who will emerge as the parties’ nominees once the conventions role around.
The Conventions
Howdy from Oklahoma!
Sebastian Herrmann and Catarina Rost have asked me to blog about the ongoing presidential race. I'm beginning by an (overly long, I'm afraid) post on the just-completed conventions as we enter the home stretch of this long campaign.