The 2012 Republican National Convention was a gathering held by the U.S. Republican Party during which delegates officially nominated former Massachusetts Governor

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

and Representative

Paul Ryan Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member of the ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

for

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

, respectively, for the 2012 election. Prominent members of the party delivered speeches and discussed the convention theme, "A Better Future." The convention was held during the week of August 27, 2012, in

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

at the Tampa Bay Times Forum (now

Amalie Arena Amalie Arena (officially stylized as AMALIE Arena) is a multipurpose arena in Tampa, Florida, United States, that has been used for ice hockey, basketball, arena football, concerts, and other events. It is mainly used as the home for the Tamp ...

). The city, which expected demonstrations and possible vandalism, used a federal grant to bolster its police force in preparation. Due to the approach of Hurricane Isaac, convention officials changed the convention schedule on August 26, 2012; the convention came to order on August 27, 2012, and then immediately recessed until the following afternoon because of the risk of Isaac hitting Tampa.

Background

Site selection

On August 14, 2009, the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...

named an eight-member

Site Selection Site selection indicates the practice of new facility location, both for business and government. Site selection involves measuring the needs of a new project against the merits of potential locations. The practice came of age during the 20th centur ...

Committee to start the process of selecting a host city for the

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

convention. News reports in early 2010 indicated that Tampa, as well as

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

and

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, had been selected as finalist candidates for the convention site. The decision was announced on May 12, 2010, when Tampa was selected as the host city.

Host Committee

The 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee, a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

, was the official and federally designated presidential convention host committee for the convention, charged with the task of raising the necessary funds to hold the convention. The Host Committee was composed of 10 prominent Florida business executives, civic leaders, and other community leaders. Al Austin was chairman and Ken Jones served as the president and chief executive officer. The Host Committee achieved its fundraising goal as of August 27, 2012, having raised more than $55,000,000 to host the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Objectives and themes

The convention theme was "A Better Future". Each day also had its own theme: Monday's was "We Can Do Better"; Tuesday's was "We Built It"; Wednesday's was "We Can Change It"; and Thursday's was "We Believe in America." In addition to these daily themes, the

announced that it would present a series of policy workshops to be hosted by former Speaker of the House

Newt Gingrich Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1 ...

called "Newt University". A primary objective of the convention, described both as Romney's "biggest election hurdle" and as Romney's "most urgent task" of concern by top Republicans, was to counter efforts to portray him as an out-of-touch elitist and to rehabilitate the image of his business career. The convention lasted from August 27–30, 2012. According to the convention website, it hosted 2,286 delegates, 2,125 alternates and 15,000 credentialed members of the media. The convention CEO was William D. Harris. Several notable Republican figures chose not to attend the convention, including former presidents

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

and

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

, and former vice-president

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American former politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He has been called vice presidency o ...

. However, a video tribute to George W. Bush, who had stayed out of the political arena since leaving office three years earlier, was shown at the convention on Wednesday night, in which Bush's family members praised him. In the tribute, Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, said of George W. Bush: "There was never a taint of scandal around his presidency. And I think we forget the importance of that."

Security

The convention was designated as a National Special Security Event, which meant that ultimate authority over

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

went to the

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For i ...

and

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior, home, or public security ministries in other countries. Its missions invol ...

. The federal government provided $50 million for Convention security. Much of the money went to deputizing additional police. Other expenses included expanded surveillance technology and an armored

SWAT A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations. SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...

vehicle. Tampa Bay disclosed specifically that it had spent $1.18 M on video linkages between ground police and helicopters. The city paid $16,500 to the Florida State Fairgrounds Authority in exchange for police use of local fairgrounds as a command center. Dani Doane of

The Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (or simply Heritage) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it took a leading role in the conservative movement in the 1980s during the Presi ...

described the police presence as "unnerving" and "like a

police state A police state describes a state whose government institutions exercise an extreme level of control over civil society and liberties. There is typically little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the exec ...

".Other delegates had similar criticism of the "police state" environment in Tampa. Others reported a quiet week with small protests and few arrests. Police handed out bottles of water during the event and at one point served protestors a box lunch.

The convention

Platform

A committee, chaired by Virginia Governor

Bob McDonnell Robert Francis McDonnell (born June 15, 1954) is an American politician, attorney, businessman, academic administrator, and former military officer who served as the 71st governor of Virginia from 2010 to 2014. He is a member of the Republica ...

, met in Tampa to draft a

party platform A political party platform (American English), party program, or party manifesto (preferential term in British and often Commonwealth English) is a formal set of principal goals which are supported by a political party or individual candidate, t ...

. On August 21, 2012, the committee released a 60-page document for approval at the convention. The platform was enthusiastically approved at the convention on August 28. Policies include: *A Human Life Amendment banning

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

(with exceptions, if any, to be determined by Congress) and legislation "to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children." *A

constitutional amendment A constitutional amendment (or constitutional alteration) is a modification of the constitution of a polity, organization or other type of entity. Amendments are often interwoven into the relevant sections of an existing constitution, directly alt ...

defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The right of the federal government and each state to deny legal recognition to same-sex marriages. *For Medicare: increase the age of eligibility and a shift to a

defined contribution plan A defined contribution (DC) plan is a type of retirement plan in which the employer, employee or both make contributions on a regular basis. Individual accounts are set up for participants and benefits are based on the amounts credited to these a ...

in which the government pays a fixed amount rather than cover an individual's costs. *A new " guest worker" program; long-term detention for "dangerous but undeportable aliens"."We support Republican legislation to give the Department of Homeland Security long-term detention authority to keep dangerous but undeportable aliens off our streets, expedite expulsion of criminal aliens, and make gang membership a deportable offense." ''Platform'', p. 26. See: *Abstinence should be the only form of

family planning Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marit ...

for teenagers that is government funded. *Increased transparency of the Federal Reserve via audits and investigating the viability of returning to a fixed value currency. *Ending the federal income tax by repealing the Sixteenth Amendment if the current taxation system is significantly changed. *Opposing regulations on business to curb climate change, curtailing the power of the Environmental Protection Agency, and promoting "private stewardship of the environment".See ''Platform'' pp. 18–19 and:

Nominations

According to

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

and

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

delegate projections,

, former

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...

, clinched the Republican presidential nomination in the Texas primary on May 29, 2012, and became the party's

presumptive nominee Preselection is the process by which a candidate is selected, usually by a political party, to contest an election for political office. It is also referred to as candidate selection. It is a fundamental function of political parties. The presel ...

. Two weeks before the convention, on August 11, Romney announced

as his running mate. The decision made Ryan the first major party vice presidential candidate from

Rick Santorum Richard John Santorum Sr. ( ; born May 10, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, author, and political commentator who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1995 to 2007. He was the Senate's Chairman of the United Sta ...

and

formally released their delegates in the week before the convention and encouraged them to vote for Romney.

Ron Paul Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977, and again from 1979 to 1985, as well as for Texas' ...

retained his delegates, as part of an overall strategy to influence the party. The final composition of several delegations was subject to ruling of the Committee on Contests. The traditional roll call of the states, which permits delegates to promote their home states, took place on Tuesday, August 28, 2012, the first full day of the convention. Paul Ryan was nominated for vice president by voice vote.

Speakers

The original plan called for speeches on Monday, but due to Tropical Storm Isaac most of the Monday program was cancelled and all the main speakers were rescheduled to speak later at the convention. Ron Paul was offered a speech slot, under the conditions that the Romney campaign could pre-review his remarks and that he would fully endorse Romney. Paul declined the offer, saying that he remained an "undecided voter". Paul explained that "It wouldn't be my speech. That would undo everything I've done in the last 30 years. I don't fully endorse him for president." Instead, a tribute video to Paul was shown at the convention. Congresswoman

Cathy McMorris Rodgers Cathy Anne McMorris Rodgers (born May 22, 1969) is an American politician who served from 2005 to 2025 as the United States representative for , which encompasses the eastern third of the state and includes Spokane, the state's second-largest cit ...

served as the official convention host, speaking at the start of each night of the convention to provide the theme of the speeches for each evening. The most coveted speaking slot that was intended to close the Monday night program of the convention was scheduled to go to Ann Romney, Mitt Romney's wife. But since the major television networks had opted out on Monday's primetime coverage (prior to Monday's cancellation of activities), her speech was moved to Tuesday, August 28 after 10:00 pm EDT, when broadcast networks began coverage, with an introduction by Lucé Vela Fortuño, the First Lady of

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. Ann Romney's task in her speech was described by Lois Romano of ''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...

'' as "to try to accomplish what the sharpest minds in Republican politics have failed to do: present her stiff and awkward husband as a likable guy." Other August 28 speakers included Governors

John Kasich John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician and author who was the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001, and a Republican candidate for the pre ...

(Ohio), Nikki Haley (South Carolina),

(Virginia), and

Mary Fallin Mary Fallin (; née Copeland; born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, she was elected in 2010 Oklahoma gub ...

(Oklahoma).

Monday, August 27

Due to Tropical Storm Isaac, the scheduled activities on Monday were postponed or canceled; RNC Chairman

Reince Priebus Reinhold Richard "Reince" Priebus ( ; born March 18, 1972) is an American politician, attorney, and naval officer who served as chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2011 to 2017 and as White House chief of staff during the first s ...

called the convention to order at 2:00 pm on Monday and started a

debt clock A debt clock is a public counter, which displays the government debt (also known as ''public debt'' or ''national debt'') of a Government-owned corporation, public corporation, usually of a state, and which visualizes the progression through an up ...

in the arena, before putting the convention into recess at 2:10 pm.

Tuesday, August 28 - Ann Romney and Chris Christie

On Tuesday afternoon, the bulk of the Maine delegates walked out of the convention in protest of the decision to replace 10 Ron Paul delegates with 10 Romney delegates. This action by the RNC came in response to a takeover of Maine's Republican State Convention by Paul supporters which resulted in Paul's percentage of delegates being doubled over the percentage of delegates to which he would have been entitled by the caucus vote count; the additional ten delegates came at the expense of Romney. Originally scheduled to speak at the closing of Monday night's program, Ann Romney spoke in front of the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, August 28, 2012. Romney started off by stating that her speech was not about politics or party, but about love. She spoke about her husband, Mitt Romney, in an attempt to present her husband as likeable and relatable, responding in part to his opponents' depiction of him as an out-of-touch elitist. Ann Romney CPAC 2011

The speakers for the day were: * Meir Soloveichik, associate rabbi of New York City's

Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun (abbreviated as KJ or CKJ) is a Modern Orthodox Jewish synagogue at 126 East 85th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The synagogue was founded in 1872. The syna ...

and director of Yeshiva University's Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought * Sharon Day, co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. * Bob Buckhorn, Democratic mayor of

. *William Harris, CEO of the Republican National Convention. *Al Austin, Chairman of the Tampa Bay Host Committee. * Pete Sessions, United States Representative for Texas's 32nd congressional district *Ricky Gill, Republican candidate for US Representative for California's 9th congressional district. * Quico Canseco, United States Representative for Texas's 23rd congressional district. * Andy Barr, Republican candidate for US Representative for Kentucky's 6th congressional district. * David Rouzer, member of the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The Senate ...

for the 12th district and Republican candidate for US Representative for North Carolina's 7th congressional district. * Richard Hudson, Republican candidate for US Representative for

North Carolina's 8th congressional district North Carolina's 8th congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district that comprises a large portion of the southern Piedmont (United States), Piedmont area of North Carolina The district includes ...

. *

Mark Meadows Mark Randall Meadows (born July 28, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 29th White House chief of staff from 2020 to 2021 under the Trump administration. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as the U.S. representat ...

, Republican candidate for US Representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district. * Dan Benishek, United States Representative for Michigan's 1st congressional district. *John Archer, Republican candidate for US Representative for

Iowa's 2nd congressional district Iowa's 2nd congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers most of its northeastern part. It includes Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Iowa, Dubuque ...

. * Jackie Walorski, former Republican member of the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House mem ...

for the 21st district and Republican candidate for US Representative for Indiana's 2nd congressional district. *

Steve Daines Steven David Daines ( ; born August 20, 1962) is an American politician and former corporate executive serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Montana, a seat he has held since ...

, Republican candidate for US Representative for Montana's at-large congressional district. * Jason Chaffetz, United States Representative for Utah's 3rd congressional district. *

Tim Scott Timothy Eugene Scott (born September 19, 1965) is an American businessman and politician serving since 2013 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from South Carolina. A member of the Re ...

, United States Representative for

South Carolina's 1st congressional district South Carolina's 1st congressional district is a coastal congressional district in South Carolina, represented by Republican Party (United States), Republican Nancy Mace since January 3, 2021. She succeeded Democratic Party (United States), Demo ...

. *

Sean Duffy Sean Patrick Duffy (born October 3, 1971) is an American politician, lawyer, former prosecutor, and former television personality who has served as the 20th United States Secretary of Transportation, United States secretary of transportation sinc ...

, United States Representative for

Wisconsin's 7th congressional district Wisconsin's 7th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in northwestern and central Wisconsin; it is the largest congressional district in the state geographically, covering 20 counties (i ...

. * Keith Rothfus, Republican candidate for US Representative for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district. * Timothy Griffin, United States Representative for

Arkansas's 2nd congressional district Arkansas's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district located in the central part of the U.S. state of Arkansas and includes most of the state capital of Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock, its suburbs, and surrounding areas. The dist ...

. * Deb Fischer, member of the

Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislative branch, legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators ...

for the 43rd district and Republican candidate for US Senate from Nebraska. * Rick Berg, United States Representative for North Dakota's at-large congressional district and Republican candidate for US Senate from North Dakota. * Barbara Comstock, member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

for the 34th district. *Rae Lynn Chornenky, president of the National Federation of Republican Women. *Alex Schriver, National Chairman of the College Republican National Committee. * Mick Cornett, Republican mayor of

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

. *Chris Fussner, Global Chair of Republicans Abroad and CEO of TransTechnology. *Lisa Stickan, Chairperson of the

Young Republicans The Young Republican National Federation, commonly referred to as the Young Republicans or YRNF, is a 527 organization for members of the Republican Party of the United States between the ages of 18 and 40. It has both a national organization ...

. *

John Hoeven John Henry Hoeven III ( ; born March 13, 1957) is an American banker and politician serving as the senior U.S. senator from North Dakota, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Hoeven served as the 31st governor of N ...

, United States Senator from

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

. *

Marsha Blackburn Mary Marsha Blackburn (née Wedgeworth; born June 6, 1952) is an American politician and businesswoman serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Tennessee. Blackburn was first ...

, United States Representative for Tennessee's 7th congressional district. *

John Boehner John Andrew Boehner ( ; born , 1949) is an American politician who served as the 53rd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served 13 terms as the U.S. representative ...

, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. *

, Chairman of the

. *

Mia Love Ludmya "Mia" Love (née Bourdeau; December 6, 1975 – March 23, 2025) was an American political commentator and politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Utah's 4th congressional district from ...

, Mayor of

Saratoga Springs, Utah Saratoga Springs is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. The elevation is 4,505 feet. It is part of the Provo– Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is a relatively new development along the northwestern shores of Ut ...

and Republican candidate for US Representative for

Utah's 4th congressional district Utah's 4th congressional district is a congressional district created by the state legislature as a result of reapportionment by Congress after the 2010 United States census, 2010 census showed population increases in the state relative to other ...

. * Janine Turner, actress and Tea Party activist. * Sher Valenzuela, candidate for Lieutenant Governor of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

. Switched places with

in comparison to the published order of speakers. *

, United States Representative for

Washington's 5th congressional district Washington's 5th congressional district encompasses the Eastern Washington counties of Ferry County, Washington, Ferry, Stevens County, Washington, Stevens, Pend Oreille County, Washington, Pend Oreille, Lincoln County, Washington, Lincoln, Spok ...

. * Kelly Ayotte, U.S. Senator from

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, accompanied by Jack Gilchrist, owner of Gilchrist Metal Fabricating. *

, Governor of

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. *

, Governor of

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. *

, Governor of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, accompanied by Bev Gray. * Scott Walker, Governor of

. * Brian Sandoval, Governor of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. *Phil Archuletta,

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

businessman. *

, former U.S. Senator from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

and 2012 Presidential candidate. *

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...

, former

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

solicitor general and 2012 Republican nominee from Texas for U.S. Senate. * Artur Davis, former Democratic United States Representative for Alabama's 7th congressional district and 2010 Democratic candidate for Governor of Alabama. * Nikki Haley, Governor of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. * Lucé Vela, First Lady of

. * Ann Romney, former First Lady of

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

& wife of Republican nominee

. *

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...

, Governor of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

- keynote speaker.

Wednesday, August 29 - Paul Ryan

Wednesday saw a speech from vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan. The accuracy of some of Ryan's statements was widely challenged by the media, fact-checkers, and political opponents. The

criticized Ryan for taking "factual shortcuts", and the speech was criticized in other outlets for being "misleading"Editorial Board
Mr. Ryan's misleading speech
(August 30, 2012). ''The Washington Post''. and "dishonest".James Fallows
Paul Ryan and the Post-Truth Convention Speech
(August 30, 2012). ''The Atlantic''. The most widely challenged portion of Ryan's speech occurred when Ryan criticized Obama for supposedly claiming, at a 2008 campaign appearance at a GM plant in Janesville, Wisconsin (which was slated for closure), that he (Obama) would keep that plant open if he became president. GM began a phased plant closing for the Janesville facility during the 2008 presidential campaign, laying off nearly all of its 1,200 workers on December 23, 2008. 57 workers remained employed at the plant during final assembly and another 40 to 50 in the decommissioning of the plant. On September 19, 2011, GM reported that the Janesville plant was on standby status, as part of a contract between itself and the UAW. Governor NewMexico

The speakers for the day were: *

Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell McConnell III (; born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky, a seat he has held since 1985. McConnell is in his seventh Senate term and is the long ...

, Republican Minority Leader of the Senate. *

Rand Paul Randal Howard Paul (born January 7, 1963) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Kentucky since 2011. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

, United States Senator from

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. *Chris Devlin-Young, Christopher Devlin-Young, Salt Lake City Gold Olympian alpine ski racer, and Jeanine McDonnell *John McCain, U.S. Senator from Arizona and 2008 presidential nominee. *Pam Bondi, Attorney General of

, and Sam Olens, Attorney General of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. *Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana. (Cancelled due to Tropical Storm / Hurricane Isaac) *John Thune, U.S. Senator from South Dakota. *Yash Wadhwa,

civil engineer. *Tad True, vice president of a pipeline company in Wyoming. *Michelle Voorheis, Michigan businesswoman. *Rob Portman, U.S. Senator from

. *Luis Fortuño, Governor of

. *Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota and 2012 presidential candidate. *Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and 2008 presidential candidate. *Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State. *Susana Martinez, Governor of

. *

, U.S. Representative from

and nominee for Vice President of the United States.

Thursday, August 30: Eastwood, Rubio and Romney

Actor and director Clint Eastwood made a planned surprise appearance at the convention, speaking at the top of the final hour. He spent much of his speech time on a largely improvised routine addressing an Chair, empty chair representing President Obama. In at least two instances, Eastwood implied the President had uttered profanities directed both at Romney and Eastwood. Eastwood's remarks were well-received within the convention hall, but responses were mixed in the media. Film critic Roger Ebert commented "Clint, my hero, is coming across as sad and pathetic. He didn't need to do this to himself. It's unworthy of him". Comedian Bob Newhart, who had popularized empty-chair interviews in the 1960s, tweeted in his deadpan humor style, "I heard that Clint Eastwood was channeling me at the RNC. My lawyers and I are drafting our lawsuit". Thursday night concluded with Romney's acceptance speech. He announced that if elected, a Romney administration energy policy would take "full advantage of our oil and coal and gas and nuclear and renewables". Romney also joked about the Obama administration's policies on climate change, saying "President Obama promised to begin to slow the Current sea level rise, rise of the oceans and heal the planet", a line which elicited laughter from the convention audience. By way of contrast, Romney continued "MY promise...is to help you and your family." Thursday's speakers included: * Connie Mack IV, United States Representative from Florida's 14th congressional district and 2012 Republican nominee from Florida for U.S. Senate. *

, former Republican Speaker of the House and 2012 Presidential candidate & his wife, Callista Gingrich. *Craig Romney, son of Mitt Romney. *Jeb Bush, former governor of

accompanied by teacher Sean Duffy and former student Frantz Placide. *

, United States Representative for Washington's 5th congressional district. *Grant Bennett, CEO of CPS Technologies and former consultant of Bain Capital. *Ted and Pat Oparowsky and Pam Finlayson from Mitt Romney's former congregation *Bob White (business executive), Bob White, chairman of Romney for President campaign. *Thomas G. Stemberg, founder of Staples Inc. *Ray Fernandez, owner of Vida Pharmacy *Kerry Healey, former lieutenant governor of

. *Jane Edmonds, former Massachusetts Secretary of Workforce. *Clint Eastwood, actor; he was confirmed to be the "mystery speaker" that had been subject of media speculation since the opening day of the convention. *Marco Rubio, United States Senator from

. *

, former governor of

and nominee for President of the United States.

Invocations and blessings

Besides Rabbi Soloveichik, another five religious leaders were scheduled to provide blessings or invocations, including the Rev. Sammy Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; Ishwar Singh of the Sikhism, Sikh Society of Central Florida; Archbishop Demetrios of America, Archbishop Demetrios, primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; Kenneth Hutchins, Ken and Priscilla Hutchins of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (to open); and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan. Dolan gave the closing prayer.

Protests

In October 2011, Tampa city officials began planning for anticipated protests, and discussions centered around small prior protests by the Occupy movement. According to former Tampa City Council member John Dingfelder, then the senior staff attorney for the mid-Florida office of the American Civil Liberties Union, the convention should expect to draw far more protestors and the city should plan on up to 10,000. Dingfelder encouraged the city to be proactive regarding where protests could occur and protestors could sleep. Tampa's Mayor Bob Buckhorn's response was "If they want a place to sleep, they can go home or to a hotel.... Just because they want to occupy something doesn't mean we are obligated to provide them with an opportunity to camp out in a public park or on a sidewalk." The city of Tampa has banned puppets from downtown during the convention, a decision which some puppet-makers say violates their civil liberties. Police claimed that puppets could be used to conceal weapons—at the 2000 RNC, police charged a group of puppet-makers in Philadelphia with conspiracy to resist arrest. On August 4, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) held a forum addressing what would be considered free speech during the Convention. In early August, the city announced plans to provide delegates and protestors alike with water and portable toilets. Various groups began demonstrating on July 27 in Tampa and Tallahassee as part of a one-month countdown to the convention, calling for "good jobs, healthcare, affordable education, equality and peace."

References

External links

Background

Site selection

Host Committee

Objectives and themes

Security

The convention

Platform

Nominations

Speakers

Monday, August 27

Tuesday, August 28 - Ann Romney and Chris Christie

Wednesday, August 29 - Paul Ryan

Thursday, August 30: Eastwood, Rubio and Romney

Invocations and blessings

Protests

See also

References

External links