# How do they pick the dates for the party conventions?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-pick-the-dates-for-the-party-conventions/633979>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [September 7, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-pick-the-dates-for-the-party-conventions/633979 "2012-09-07T13:49:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-pick-the-dates-for-the-party-conventions/633979/1 "2012-09-07T13:49:13Z")

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Just watching the DNC convention last night and noticed that the Dems have the opportunity to reply to specific statements made by the Republicans, because they are doing their convention second. It seems to me that having your convention last is a large advantage, but what do I know? Do the two parties try to out maneuver each other in setting the convention date or do they have a tradition for how they do it?

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**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-pick-the-dates-for-the-party-conventions/633979/2 "2012-09-07T14:34:40Z")

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The party of the sitting president customarily gets first choice, and chooses to go last so its own message has more opportunity to sink in. Both conventions are scheduled around the Olympics.

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**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-pick-the-dates-for-the-party-conventions/633979/3 "2012-09-07T15:20:55Z")

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They [check the weather forecast months in advance](http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/krauthammer-dnc-has-known-what-weather-will-be), of course.

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [September 7, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-pick-the-dates-for-the-party-conventions/633979/4 "2012-09-07T16:36:37Z")

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> [@ElvisL1ves](#):
>
> The party of the sitting president customarily gets first choice, and chooses to go last so its own message has more opportunity to sink in. Both conventions are scheduled around the Olympics.

This wasn’t always true. [The Democrats almost always went last.](http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2012/08/republican_and_democratic_convention_schedules_which_party_goes_first_or_second_.html) It changed in the television age, though, so incumbent party goes last has been true for the adult lifetimes of the vast majority.