The RN-What?
The Republican National Convention’s main task is to nominate the party’s presidential nominee and approve its platform. The party broadly backs Donald Trump and a pro-Trump platform. This was true when he was president (2016-20), and has remained true after he lost his re-election bid in 2020.
Yeah, It’s a Big Deal!
This is an international party where history will be made. The RNC has happened every four years since 1856, but never in Wisconsin. That’s somewhat surprising since the Grand Old Party got its start in a white schoolhouse in the central Wisconsin town of Ripon. That was 1854. Now, 170 years later, the party returns to the state where it began, aiming to send Trump back to the White House.
July 15-18
There will be programs, parties and speeches every day of the Monday-Thursday convention. The main events – the nomination of Trump for president and his acceptance speech – happen on Thursday night, July 18. But Monday should be newsy, too: a protest group, Coalition to March on the RNC, promises a large presence on the convention’s first day.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Why Milwaukee?
Because of Wisconsin. Our state has become the battleground, siding with the winner in the past four presidential elections. It’s why Democrats tried to stage their convention here in 2020 (short-circuited by COVID) and why Republicans are coming now. Milwaukee is the largest city in the state and the only place large enough to handle an event this big.
Who’s Coming to MKE?
About 50,000 people, including delegates from every U.S. state and territory who vote for the party’s nominee, are expected for the four-day event. The invited convention attendees will be Republicans, with a heavy emphasis on people in red hats; the party apparatus has been completely overtaken by Trump loyalists. Some more traditional Republicans have departed the party, with a firm kick out the door. Mitt Romney, the party’s presidential nominee way back in 2012, refused to endorse Trump. As did Romney’s running mate, Wisconsin’s own Paul Ryan (read his thoughts on that on Page 42). As did Trump’s own vice president, Mike Pence. There to chronicle, and control, the political circus will be a small city of onlookers – 15,000 media members, 4,500 out-of-town cops and buses full of protesters.
GOP Ground Zero
The main events will happen in a compact, heavily secured area of Downtown Milwaukee centered on a handful of venues: Fiserv Forum, Baird Center, UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and the Miller High Life Theatre. But convention organizers are spotlighting 207 other local venues – bars, restaurants, museums, parks and at least one dentist’s office – for conventiongoers to visit. And they can’t all crash in Milwaukee. Hotels across the suburbs, and in Sheboygan, Madison and beyond will fill with convention guests.
High Spirits
With all the people in red hats and RNC lanyards mingling in our politically blue city, we might need some beer to bring everyone together. Well, there’ll be extra opportunity for that; the state pushed back bar closing time during the convention to 4 a.m. not just in Milwaukee County but 13 others as well.
Oh and…
The Democratic National Convention will be happening just down I-94 in Chicago, Aug. 19-24.
