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|caption = Nominees <br> Donald John Trump and Michael Richard Pence
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|date = July 18–21, 2016<ref name="set">Isenstadt, Alex (January 14, 2014) [http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/gop-convention-july-18-2016-114276.html "GOP convention set for July 18–21 in 2016"], ''[[Politico]]''. Retrieved January 15, 2015.</ref>
|date = July 18–21, 2016<ref name="set">Isenstadt, Alex (January 14, 2014) [http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/gop-convention-july-18-2016-114276.html "GOP convention set for July 18–21 in 2016"], ''[[Politico]]''. Retrieved January 15, 2015.</ref>
Sites of the 2016 national presidential nominating conventions. Blue, red, green, and yellow indicate the conventions for the Democratic, Republican, Green, and Libertarian parties, respectively.
There are 2,472 delegates to the Republican National Convention, with a simple majority of 1,237 required to win the presidential nomination.[5][6] Most of those delegates were bound for the first ballot of the convention based on the results of the 2016 Republican presidential primaries. The convention formally nominated Donald Trump as the party's nominee and Mike Pence as his running mate.
Background
In 2016, both the Democratic and Republican conventions are being held before the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics instead of after, as was the case in 2008 and 2012. One reason the Republican Party scheduled their convention in July was to help avoid a longer, drawn-out primary battle similar to what happened in 2012, which left the party fractured heading into the general election and eventually led to Mitt Romney losing the election to Barack Obama. The Democratic Party then followed suit, scheduling their convention in Philadelphia the week after the Republicans' convention, to provide a quicker response.[7] On May 3, Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus declared Donald Trump the presumptive nominee after Texas senator Ted Cruz dropped out of the race. The next day, Ohio Governor John Kasich suspended his campaign, effectively making Trump the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Trump would be the first presidential nominee of a major party since Wendell Willkie, the Republican candidate in 1940, who held neither political office nor a high military rank prior to his nomination. He would also be the first presidential nominee of a major party without political experience since General Dwight D. Eisenhower first captured the Republican presidential nomination in 1952. This will be the first Republican National Convention to be held entirely in July since 1980. Twitter and CBS News have announced their joint plan to live stream the convention via Twitter.[8]
On April 2, 2014, the Republican National Committee announced that Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City and Las Vegas were the finalists for hosting the convention.[9] In late June 2014, Cleveland and Dallas were announced as the final two contenders to be the host city.[10] Cleveland was selected on July 8, 2014.[11]
Host Committee
The 2016 Cleveland Host Committee, an Ohio nonprofit corporation with no political affiliation, is the official and federally designated Presidential Convention Host Committee for the convention. It is responsible for "organizing, hosting and funding" the convention; it also aims "to promote Northeast Ohio and ensure Cleveland is best represented, and to lessen the burden of local governments in hosting the 2016 Republican National Convention".[12] The Host Committee is composed of prominent Ohio business executives, civic leaders, and other community leaders.[13][14] David Gilbert, CEO of Destination Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, is the President and CEO of the host committee.[12] Organizers have found it hard to raise the money needed to put on the convention, which is normally supported by corporate donations. Corporations that donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the 2012 convention but nothing in 2016 include JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, Ford Motor Company, Motorola Solutions and Amgen.[15] Reluctance to be associated with Trump, or concern that the convention might be disrupted by floor fights or violence, were sometimes cited as factors in the decision to withhold funds.[16][17] In July as the convention got under way, the Cleveland Host Committee said it had raised $58 million of its $64 million goal. They asked billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who often contributes to Republicans, to make up the $6 million shortfall.[18]
Security arrangements and planning
The convention is designated as a National Special Security Event, meaning that ultimate authority over law enforcement goes to the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security.[19] A highly-publicized online petition[20] by gun activists to allow the open carry of guns inside Quicken Loans Arena garnered 45,000 signatures; however, the Secret Service, which is in charge of convention security, announced that it would not allow guns in the arena (or the small "secure zone" immediately outside it[21]) during the event,[22] releasing a statement in late March 2016 saying: "Individuals determined to be carrying firearms will not be allowed past a predetermined outer perimeter checkpoint, regardless of whether they possess a ticket to the event."[23] The Secret Service has the authority to restrict guns, firearms or other weapons from entering any site where it is protecting an individual.[24]
The Cleveland Police Department has received $50 million in federal grants to support local police operations during the event.[25] With this grant money, the City of Cleveland has sought to purchase over 2,000 riot control personnel gear sets prior to the convention for $20 million, and the remaining $30 million is expected to go to personnel expenses.[26] Items such as water guns, swords, tennis balls and coolers have been banned by the City of Cleveland from the 1.7-square-mile "event zone" outside the convention hall by the City of Cleveland, but because of a statewide open-carry law permitting the open carrying of guns, firearms are permitted.[27][28][29][21] The Cleveland chapter of the NAACP raised concerns in March 2016 in a letter to city and county leaders about security at the Convention, writing that police were unprepared for a "possible mix of protesters and demonstrators brandishing guns."[20][30] The Cleveland Police Union also raised concerns similar to those raised by the local NAACP in March, writing that equipment and training for police was behind schedule.[20] On July 16—the eve of the convention—the Cleveland Police Union asked Governor John Kasich to temporarily suspend Ohio's state open-carry gun law so as to block the carrying of guns within the event zone,[21] but Kasich rejected the request, writing: "Ohio governors do not have the power to arbitrarily suspend federal and state constitutional rights or state laws as suggested."[21]
Before the convention there were a number of online phishing expeditions that may have been hackers looking for weak spots in the convention's network.[31] The computer network of the Democratic National Committee had already been penetrated by hackers linked with the Russian government, compromising, among other things, the database of opposition research on Trump.[32] On July 17, 2016, The New York Times reported that "Cleveland has assigned about 500 police officers specifically to handle the convention and it has brought in thousands more officers to help, from departments as distant as California and Texas."[33]
Protest planning
The Los Angeles Times wrote at the end of March 2016 that fears of a turbulent and volatile convention atmosphere were heightened because of a variety of factors: "a city scarred by controversial police shootings and simmering with racial tension; a candidate [Trump] who has threatened that his supporters will riot if he comes with the most delegates but leaves without the nomination; and a police force with a reputation for brutality."[34] Concerns specifically focused on the ability of the Cleveland Police Department to handle protests in the wake of the Tamir Rice and Michael Brelo cases, and a 2014 Department of Justice investigation that criticized the police department had a pattern or practice of using "unreasonable and unnecessary force."[34] Left-wing activists have been preparing for the convention since it was announced in 2014.[34] In May 2016, the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to file a lawsuit on behalf of two activist groups, Citizens for Trump and a progressive group called Organize Ohio, asserting that protesters were being inhibited in their attempts to organize effectively by the city's delay in granting permits.[35] As of May 19, six groups had filed for permits, but none had been granted. Cleveland stalled on approving and making public the demonstration applications it received, while Philadelphia (hosting the 2016 Democratic National Convention) had already granted an application.[36] The ACLU sued the city in federal district court on June 14, 2016.[37] As of May 20, 2016, groups that have filed for protest permits have included the AIDS Healthcare Foundation; Global Zero; Organize Ohio, a group of progressive activists; the Citizens for Trump/Our Votes Matter March; Coalition to March on the RNC and Dump Trump; Stand Together Against Trump, an anti-Donald Trump group; People's Fightback Center/March Against Racism; and Created Equal, an anti-abortion group. A pro-Trump group, Trump March RNC, withdrew its application after Trump became the presumptive nominee.[38]
Attendance and officials skipping convention
As Trump rose to become the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican Party, a number of prominent Republicans announced they would not attend the convention.[39][40] Of the living former Republican nominees for president, only 1996 nominee Bob Dole announced that he would attend the convention; Romney, John McCain, George W. Bush and George H. W. Bush all announced that they would skip the convention.[41] A number of Republican Governors, U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators, particularly those facing difficult reelection campaigns, also indicated that they would not attend, seeking to distance themselves from Trump and spend more time with voters in their home states.[39] Most notably, Governor Kasich chose to avoid the convention, while Ohio SenatorRob Portman attended the convention but avoided taking a major role in its proceedings.[42] On July 8, 2016, Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse announced that he would not attend the convention.[43] Many Republican senators are not attending the convention at all:[44] Senator Steve Daines of Montana, who will be "fly-fishing with his wife"; Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, who said he has "to mow his lawn"; and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who will be traveling in Alaska by bush plane.[44]
A number of prominent businesses and trade groups, including Coca-Cola, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, have announced plans to scale back participation in the convention, sharply reducing their contributions for convention events and sponsorship.[40][45] In June, six major companies that sponsored the 2012 Republican convention—Wells Fargo, UPS, Motorola, JPMorgan Chase, Ford and Walgreens Boots—announced they would not sponsor the 2016 Republican convention.[46]Apple Inc. followed suit, announcing that it, too, would be withdrawing funding from the convention over Trump's position on certain election issues.[47]
Seating assignments
Seating arrangements for state and territorial delegations were announced on July 16, two days before the convention began.[48][49] The Ohio and Texas delegations were assigned to the back of the convention hall, a move viewed as punishment for the delegations, as they did not back Trump in their respective primaries (Ohio and Texas voted for Kasich and Cruz, respectively).[50][51]
Convention committees and meetings before the Convention
There are four Convention committees, which met ahead of the Convention for specific purposes under the rules of the Republican Party.[52] Each committee is composed of one man and one woman from each state, the five U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia, totaling 112 members. Those committee members are selected by the 56 delegations, which determine on their own how to choose their representatives on each committee.[53] Each of the committees met the week before the convention at the Huntington Convention Center in Cleveland.[54] The committees are as follows:
Committee on Rules and Order of Business (or Rules Committee)
The Rules Committee, which sets the rules of the convention and the standing rules that govern the party until the next convention, met on July 14. The rules it passes must be adopted by the full convention to take effect. This committee is regarded as the most powerful. It consists of 112 members, including one male delegate and one female delegate from each state, territory and Washington, D.C. Members of this committee are elected at state conventions.[55][56] The Rules Committee was chaired by Enid Mickelsen of Utah and Ron Kaufman of Massachusetts.[57]
In June 2016, activists Eric O'Keefe and Dane Waters formed a group called Delegates Unbound, which CNN described as "an effort to convince delegates that they have the authority and the ability to vote for whomever they want."[58][59][60] Republican delegate Kendal Unruh led an effort among other Republican delegates to change the convention rules "to include a 'conscience clause' that would allow delegates bound to Trump to vote against him, even on the first ballot at the July convention."[61] Following a "marathon 15-hour meeting" on July 14, 2016, the Rules Committee voted down, by a vote of 84–21, a move to send a "minority report" to the floor allowing the unbinding of delegates, thereby guaranteeing Trump's nomination. The committee then made the opposite move, voting 87–12 to include rules language specifically stating that delegates were required to vote based on their states' primary and caucus results.[62] By a unanimous vote, the Rules Committee also voted to change Rule 40(b), a controversial rule that had provided that "a candidate had to win a majority of the vote in eight states to have his or her name placed into nomination at the convention."[63] The committee voted to return to the pre-2012 rule, which required a candidate to receive only a plurality of the vote in at least five states to have his or her name placed in nomination.[63]
The Credentials Committee handles disputes on the eligibility of convention delegates. The Committee on Contests reviews contested delegates; if the Contests Committee recommends that a delegate be de-certified, the Credentials Committee considers the recommendation.[68][69] The Rule Committee was chaired by Mike Duncan, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, and co-chaired by Arkansas Republican Party chairman Doyle Webb.[70]
Committee on Arrangements
The Committee on Arrangements handles the scheduling and logistics of the convention.[71] The committee was chaired by Steve King, former chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin.[72]
The platform committee adopted its platform on July 12.[73] The platform was described as "staunchly conservative" and reflecting the party's drift further to the hard right.[74][75][76] The most contentious discussions at the platform committee dealt with social issues, particularly those dealing with LGBT people.[74][76] The platform adopted by the platform committee adopted a "strict, traditionalist view" on social issues, expressing deep criticism "of how the modern American family has evolved."[74] Many platform planks expressing "disapproval of homosexuality, same-sex marriage or transgender rights"—championed by Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council—passed.[74] The platform calls for overturning Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, by a constitutional amendment.[74] The platform also calls for the appointment of judges "who respect traditional family values."[74] The platform promotes state bathroom bills to restrict the public restrooms that transgender persons can use; stated that "natural marriage" is between a man and a woman and is less likely to result in children who become drug addicts; and expressed support for allowing parents to seek conversion therapy for their gay minor children.[74][76] The platform calls internet pornography "a public health crisis that is destroying the life of millions" and encourages states to fight it.[77] The platform also calls for the teaching of the Bible in public schools.[74]
Rachel Hoff, a District of Columbia delegate who is the first openly gay member of a Republican platform committee, offered several amendments to soften or offer language inclusive of the LGBT community, but each proposal failed.[78] Hoff's proposal for language "stating that marriage is a fundamentally important institution and that 'there are diverse and sincerely held views on marriage' within the party" failed in an unofficial vote of 30 to 82.[78] An amendment was also offered to recognize that gay people are targeted by ISIL; the delegates who introduced this amendment sought to signal inclusion of the gay community. The amendment was opposed by conservative delegates (such as Jim Bopp of Indiana), who termed such an amendment "identity politics") and was voted down.[74][76]
On foreign policy, the members of the platform committee were split between "libertarian-minded isolationists" and "national security hawks."[76] The latter camp won on every point, voting down measures that would have condemned ongoing U.S. involvement in Middle Eastern wars and approving language promoting increased military spending.[76] The platform adopted by the platform committee opposes a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[76] While the 2012 Republican platform called for passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the 2016 platform adopted by the convention committee omits mention of the agreement, reflecting the influence of presumptive nominee Donald Trump, who opposes the trade pact.[74] The platform also expressly calls for a wall to be built on the U.S.-Mexico border, as Trump has called for (a strengthening of initially proposed language calling for a "physical barrier").[74]
Adoption of platform by convention
Giovanni Cicione of Rhode Island, a platform committee member, led "a dissident group of Republican delegates" who opposed the anti-LGBT provisions of the sixty-page, committee-adopted platform and sought to replace it with a two-page "statement of principles" that avoided controversial issues such as same-sex marriage.[73][80] Cicione tried to force a debate and vote on the platform from the floor of the convention.[73][80] Cicione's effort was unsuccessful; on the first day of the convention, the delegates approved the platform by voice vote, with only a few scattered "nays" audible.[81]
The Convention
Floor fight over rules
After the Indiana primary on May 3, 2016, Donald Trump became presumptive nominee as the lone remaining Republican candidate running for the Republican nomination. Under rules established by previous Republican conventions, most delegates were bound on the first ballot according to the results of the primaries.[82][83] A simple majority of 1,237 delegates was needed to win the nomination.[84][85] Entering the convention, Trump was seen as the presumptive nominee and had the support of a comfortable majority of the delegates.[86]
Presidential nomination delegate count prior to convention
On the afternoon of July 18, 2016, a group of delegates opposed to Trump launched a "last-ditch effort" to force a roll-call vote on the convention rules.[86][90] These delegates sought to change the party rules package to "unbind" delegates so that on the first ballot, delegates could "vote their conscience" and conceivably block Trump from being nominated on the first ballot; such a move would also "allow Trump opponents a platform to argue against" Trump.[86]
That morning, a petition for a roll call vote was submitted with the signatures of a majority of delegates from ten states.[91] That afternoon, the rules were adopted by voice vote, prompting loud cries of protest from anti-Trump opponents who clamored for a roll-call vote.[86][91] Afterward, a second voice vote was taken, but the convention chairman denied a roll-call vote, ruling that there were insufficient signatures to compel such a vote,[86] announcing that while there had initially appeared to be nine state delegations that agreed to the roll-call vote, enough signatures had since been withdrawn to cause three states to fall below the threshold, thus missing the required seven states needed. It was reported that Trump campaign aides and RNC staff worked on the floor to persuade delegates to withdraw their support and "challenged the validity of various signatures."[86][90] This prompted the Colorado delegation to walk out in protest.[86]
All of the Delegates from Alaska, Utah and the District of Columbia were recorded and counted for Trump, despite the fact that Trump lost all three contests, and most of the members of those delegations had voted for other candidates. The Alaska delegation challenged the award of votes to Trump by the RNC Secretary and the Utah Delegation booed when its delegates were awarded to Trump, but was reminded by the RNC Chairman that the rules for these two states required the votes to be awarded to whichever candidate was still in the race for the RNC Nomination for President, and that Cruz, Rubio, and the other candidates that had withdrawn from the race had forfeited these delegates based on the RNC nomination rules.[99][100][101][102][103]
In April 2016, Trump vowed to bring "some showbiz" to the convention, criticizing the party's 2012 convention in Tampa, Florida, as "the single most boring convention I’ve ever seen."[105] The convention's lineup of speakers lacks "many of the party's rising stars" and rather features some of Trump's "eclectic collection of friends, celebrities and relatives."[106]Politico reported that Trump was directly involved in details of convention plans, seeking "to maximize the drama and spectacle" of the four-night event.[107] A large number of prominent Republican elected officials said they were not interested in attending the convention or even speaking at it, seeking to distance themselves from Trump.[108] The Trump campaign considered the idea of having Trump speak all four nights at the convention-- a break from the traditional practice of the presidential nominee taking the stage only on the final night of the convention.[107] Ultimately, Trump decided not to speak every night.[109] Trump also initially stated that he would announce his vice-presidential running mate at the convention itself, rather than before the convention,[110] with a campaign staffer saying that "announcing the vice-presidential nominee before the convention is like announcing the winner of Celebrity Apprentice before the final episode is on the air."[107] Trump's campaign eventually announced plans to announce a running mate the week before the convention[111] and named Mike Pence as his running mate on July 15, 2016.[112]
A number of figures that Trump said he would invite to speak, including boxing promoter Don King, former Alaska governorSarah Palin and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, were not included in the early lineup.[106] Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, a Trump supporter, declined an invitation to speak.[113] An early roster of speakers obtained by the media listed former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow as a speaker, but Tebow later dismissed this as a rumor and suggested that he would not speak at the convention.[114][115]Haskel Lookstein, a prominent Orthodox rabbi, was initially set to appear at the convention to deliver the opening prayer (having accepted an invitation to do so from Ivanka Trump, a congregant), but after hundreds of American Modern Orthodox Jews urged him to withdraw from the convention, Lookstein pulled out.[116]
Trump has sought to bar those who have not endorsed him from addressing the convention, making comments aimed at the former primary rivals who have declined to endorse him-- Bush, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham and George Pataki.[117] However, both Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who ran against Trump for the Republican nomination and lost, were eventually placed on the speakers' schedule, although "neither ... paid the expected price of that spotlight by offering an explicit endorsement."[118] Cruz met with Trump two weeks before the convention and accepted an invitation to speak.[118] Rubio was initially not offered a speaking slot and was expected to skip the convention,[119] but on July 17, 2016, it was confirmed that Rubio would address the convention via recorded video and release all 173 delegates to Trump.[118] Neither Rubio nor Cruz are listed as "headliner" speakers.[118]
Governor Kasich does not plan on entering the convention hall or speaking at the convention, despite overtures from Trump allies Priebus and Newt Gingrich-- who, along with Chris Christie, lost the running mate job to Pence-- and top Trump campaign advisor Paul Manafort.[119] Kasich said: "If I'm going to show up at the convention and I'm not going to be saying all these great things about the host, then I think it's inappropriate. I don't think that's the right thing to do." Kasich instead plans to attend events outside the convention hall in support of down-ballot Republican candidates.[119] As the convention began, the Trump campaign lashed out at Kasich for his failure to endorse, prompting an exchange that The New York Times called "remarkably bitter" and "the latest extraordinary turn in a campaign that has veered sharply away from political precedent."[120] Trump advisor and de facto campaign manager Paul Manafort called Kasich "petulant" and accused him of "embarrassing his party," prompting Kasich chief political aide John Weaver to mock Trump and criticize Manafort for his work on behalf of foreign "thugs and autocrats" abroad.[120]
Schedule
On July 17, 2016, the convention planners released the convention's official schedule of events and speakers, along with themes.[121] (An early, preliminary roster of speakers, "confirmed by two people with direct knowledge of the convention planning," had been obtained and published by the New York Times several days earlier).[40] The schedule of speakers is as follows:
Melania Trump, wife of Donald Trump, was one of the headlining speakers on the first night
Monday, July 18–"Make America Safe Again"[121][122]
Invocation: Mark Burns of South Carolina, televangelist, prosperity gospel preacher.[123][124] Burns' controversial prayer was described as "perhaps the most politically charged benediction ever heard at a national convention"; Burns stated that "our enemy is not other Republicans, but is Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party."[125][126]
Andy Wist, businessman[122] – described as the "mystery man" of the convention and one of its most obscure speakers; Wist is president of a waterproofing company in the Bronx[127][128]
U.S. Representative Paul Ryan, speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Republican of Wisconsin[122] – Ryan's speech is in addition to his duties as official chair of the convention, a largely ceremonial role; he reportedly plans to tout his conservative House agenda and call for Republican unity in the speech.[105]
Vice presidential nominee Mike Pence gave a speech on the third night of the convention
Wednesday, July 20–"Make America First Again"[121][122]
Donald Trump's top rival during the primaries, Ted Cruz spoke in prime time on the third night of the convention. Cruz did not endorse Trump during his speech.Rick Scott, Governor of Florida
Michelle Van Etten[122] — Van Etten was "billed as a small business owner employing more than 100,000 people" in the convention's official schedule, but she is in fact an independent retailer through a multi-level marketing firm who does not employ anyone[129]
Of the 19 speakers billed as "headliners," six are members of the Trump family: Trump himself, his wife Melania and four of his children, Ivanka, Don Jr., Eric and Tiffany.[118]
On July 20, two days after Melania's speech, Trump staffer Meredith McIver apologized in a statement sent out by the campaign. McIver wrote that Donald Trump declined her offer to resign.[136]
Ted Cruz's speech
In the third night of the convention, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas gave a speech in which he did not endorse Trump for president, and instead urged listeners to "vote your conscience, vote for candidates up and down the ticket who you trust to defend our freedom and to be faithful to the Constitution."[137] Pro-Trump delegates were enraged at Cruz's speech, shouting him down and booing him off the stage,[138] in what was described by the New York Times as "the most electric moment of the convention."[137] Convention security personnel and Cruz advisor Ken Cuccinelli escorted Cruz's wife Heidi out of the hall, fearing for her safety.[137][138]
Demonstrations
On July 18, the convention's first day, dueling anti-Trump and pro-Trump demonstrations took place at various places in Cleveland, attracting several hundred demonstrators each. The demonstrations were peaceful,[139] with just two reported arrests.[140]
On July 19, the convention's second day, peaceful protests continued. Demonstrators included those from groups such as the antiwar organization Code Pink and from the West Ohio Minutemen, a militia group.[141] Three people were arrested for criminal mischief for climbing flag poles and hanging a banner at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, bringing the total number of convention-related arrests to five.[140][141] A brief scuffle between supporters of pro-Trump conspiracy theoristAlex Jones and anti-Trump protesters was quickly broken up by police.[141][142]
On July 20, the convention's third day, seventeen people were arrested, and two officers sustained minor injuries. The International Business Journal reported: "News reports and videos circulated on social media about the increasingly tense nature of protests that have included activists from Black Lives Matter, the Ku Klux Klan and the Westboro Baptist Church, in addition to ardent supporters for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton."[143]
However, Reuters reported the crowds were 'far smaller than expected'. Lee Garnett, a 39-year-old tech worker who came from San Francisco to protest Trump's nomination said to Reuters he was 'extremely disappointed with turnout' and said people backed out 'because fear of violence from the police and fear of violence from the Trump supporters'. According to Cleveland records, three of five officially permitted protests planned for the first three days of the convention did not occur. Either organizers canceled events or supporters failed to take part, city officials said. Christine Link, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, said "Cleveland is not Chicago or New York... We don't have the activist networks, we don't have the populations of those cities." Reuters also cited a 'chilling effect' produced by the security enforcement of thousands of police officers on the streets of Cleveland.[144]
^Jaffe, Alexandra (January 23, 2015). "Democratic National Convention date set". CNN. Retrieved August 25, 2015. The July date is two months earlier than Democrats' 2012 convention, but it sets the Democrats up to immediately follow the GOP's festivities ... Republicans moved their convention back a month in hopes of avoiding the drawn-out primary battle that left the party fractured and their 2012 nominee wounded heading into the general election
^Frank Lockwood, Wood picked for GOP's credentials committee, Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette (June 10, 2016) ("A Republican National Committee official has compared the contests committee to a trial court and the credentials committee to an appeals court.").
^Rebecca Berg, Obscure Panel May Have Big Effect on GOP Convention, RealClearPolitics (May 2, 2016) (The RNC Committee on Contests ... will evaluate challenges to convention delegates selected at the state level, with the power to recommend that delegates be de-certified by the convention Committee on Credentials.").
^Berg-Andersson, Richard E. "Republican Convention". The Green Papers. Retrieved June 9, 2016. "The Green Papers's "hard count" "consists of a count of the National Convention delegates as they are formally allocated to presidential contenders (or to the ranks of the 'Uncommitted') under the rules governing the selection of such delegates in each state or other jurisdiction."
^Berg-Andersson, Richard E. "Republican Pledged and Unpledged Delegate Summary". The Green Papers. Retrieved June 9, 2016. The "Green Papers's "soft count" reflects "the support for each presidential contender by either Pledged or Unpledged delegates- whether formally allocated yet or not- as best can be estimated by 'The Green Papers'; it could, conceivably change even day to day as presidential contenders might be forced out of the nomination race- perhaps releasing any delegates which might have already been formally allocated to them- or delegates once in the ranks of the 'Uncommitted' might begin to indicate support of a given presidential contender even before the National Conventions convene this Summer! Delegates listed as 'available' in the soft count, are 'not yet estimated'."