Not too noteworthy except for the fact that it is more than a month earlier than the 2012 Republican Convention. The reason given is that it will allow the eventual nominee to begin spending money earlier which, in theory, should provide an advantage.
Report from NBC News:
Republicans will nominate their 2016 presidential ticket earlier than usual next year, picking the third week of July for their national convention so they’ll have earlier access to money for the general election, the Republican National Committee said Wednesday.
The RNC announced that the convention would be held July 18-21 in Cleveland. That’s more than a month earlier than its 2012 convention, which ran Aug. 27-30. Democrats haven’t announced dates for their convention yet. [Emphasis added]
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement that the earlier date would mean “access to crucial general election funds earlier than ever before to give our nominee a strong advantage heading into Election Day.”
There are probably arguments to be made as to whether holding a convention in the deadest of dead summer months is a wise decision. Perhaps Priebus is assuming that fewer Americans lock themselves into watching convention coverage for a week so why not get it out of the way and get on with the real campaign. History will be the judge.
