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The Unconventional Convention Season: A Conversation About the 2020 Election
Join Us for A Conversation About the 2020 Election
(10 days later)
[RSVP here to join the conversation Thursday at 5 p.m. Eastern.]
[RSVP for the next conversation on Aug. 12 at 6 p.m. Eastern.]
This was supposed to be a big week in Milwaukee.
At one point in the 2020 presidential contest, 28 Democrats and four Republicans were in the running.
In a pre-pandemic political universe, Democrats planned to hold their convention from July 13 to 16. The city beat out Miami and Houston to host the festivities. Organizers were expecting 50,000 visitors. State lawmakers pushed for bars to stay open until 4 a.m. Nearly every hotel room was spoken for.
Now the field is down from 32 to two: former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and President Trump.
By early April, though, the Democratic National Committee had postponed the convention until mid-August. In late June, the event was scaled back: It moved from a 17,000-person basketball arena to a smaller venue, and state delegations were encouraged to stay home.
Political reporters for The New York Times have been covering 2020 since the first maybe-candidates put out feelers in 2018.
The Republican National Committee moved its main August convention from Charlotte, N.C., to Jacksonville, Fla., seeking a venue where social distancing measures wouldn’t mar a celebratory mood. But now, Jacksonville will also require masks and some Republicans say they won’t be making the trip.
They can’t predict the future, but they can explain what is most likely to make a definitive difference in the presidential race — including the key battleground states, the swing voters really worth fighting for, the surprises October might hold and how the coronavirus crisis affects it all.
It’s a convention season like none other, in a campaign that has been upended and redefined by the coronavirus pandemic and protests over police brutality and racial injustice.
And they can explain all of that in conversation with you.
Which means there is a lot to discuss.
Join the Politics team for our series of free live events on the 2020 election:
RSVP here to join New York Times political reporters Katie Glueck, Annie Karni, Lisa Lerer and Jennifer Medina Thursday at 5 p.m. Eastern to talk about everything convention-related, and the latest on this unusual political summer.
August 12: The Battleground States
There is one question they won’t be able to field from personal experience. And that is: What is it like to give a career-defining speech in the bright lights of a convention hall, anyway?
September 15: The Evolving Electorate
For that answer, and thoughts on how the Democratic Party is meeting the challenge of the moment, Julián Castro, the former housing secretary, mayor of San Antonio and 2020 candidate, will be in conversation with Ms. Medina.
October 14: The Debates
Read more on his 2012 convention speech here.
We’ll have insights and analysis from Times reporters on the pandemic-modified campaign trail, special guests — and some breaking news events, too.
Get caught up with Times coverage of the 2020 candidates, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and President Trump, and follow along with the latest campaign news and updates here.
Until then, get caught up with Times coverage of the 2020 candidates, Mr. Biden and President Trump, and follow along with the latest campaign news and updates here.
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You can watch our last event below, about the unconventional convention season, featuring our reporters, along with an interview with Julián Castro, the former 2020 candidate, about giving a career-defining speech in the bright lights of a convention hall.
