Convention bounce

Ronald Reagan addresses the 1980 GOP convention. Reagan saw a big boost in the polls after his acceptance speech, but his opponent, President Jimmy Carter, got an equally large bump after his convention four weeks later.

A convention bounce or convention bump refers to a surge of support that U.S. presidential candidates in the Republican or Democratic party typically enjoy after the televised national convention of their party.^[1] A presumptive nominee for president may also be said to experience a "VP bounce" after announcing his pick for vice president prior to the convention. The size and impact of convention bumps vary, but presidential candidates usually see at least a small uptick in their polling numbers coming out of their conventions.^[2]

History of convention bounces

Bill Clinton benefited from one of the largest bumps in history after the Democratic National Convention in 1992, climbing by as many as 30 points in the polls^[3], though that was due in part to independent candidate Ross Perot's decision to drop out and endorse Clinton during the convention. Then-President George H.W. Bush's convention bounce was weak by comparison, some party leaders blaming former primary challenger Pat Buchanan's fiery and divisive speech, which aired in primetime due to a scheduling delay. Four years later, Bob Dole got a big bounce after the Republican convention, but quickly fizzled. However, Al Gore's 2000 bounce endured for weeks. Prior to the Democratic convention, Gore was behind Texas Gov. George W. Bush by as many as 16 points, but was in a statistical tie with the Republican the weekend after his acceptance speech. To the bafflement of political pundits, Democratic candidate John Kerry did not get a convention bounce in 2004^[4], despite the unpopularity of incumbent George W. Bush.

Polls indicated a small bounce for 2008 Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama after his party's convention in August^[5], but as expected, much of it evaporated during and after the Republican convention the week following, yielding GOP candidate John McCain a small lead in several polls.^[6][7] Nielsen ratings revealed that year's party conventions to be the most-watched ever, with the Republican convention narrowly trumping the Democrats'.^[8]

References

1. ^ "U.S. Elections Glossary & Terms". All American Patriots. 2004-9. http://www.allamericanpatriots.com/elections_u_s_elections_glossary_terms. Retrieved 2009-06-20. 
2. ^ Tom Holbrook: Convention Bumps
3. ^ AP: Post-convention bounce averages 10 points
4. ^ CBS News: No Bounce for Kerry
5. ^ Politico: Obama's bounce smaller than others
6. ^ Gallup: McCain’s Bounce Gives Him 5-Point Lead
7. ^ USA Today Poll: Convention lifts McCain over Obama
8. ^ Associated Press: McCain, Obama tied in TV audiences

This article about a political term is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: United States presidential elections United States presidential nominating conventions American political terms Political term stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР? Ruth Cohen Abel Thomas Look at other dictionaries: 2004 Democratic National Convention — 2004 Presidential Election …   Wikipedia 1992 Democratic National Convention — Infobox National Political Convention year = 1992 party = Democratic date = July 13 July 16 venue = Madison Square Garden city = New York City presidential nominee = Bill Clinton presidential nominee state = Arkansas vice presidential nominee =… …   Wikipedia 1972 Democratic National Convention — Infobox National Political Convention year = 1972 party = Democratic date = July 10 July 13 venue = Miami Beach Convention Center city = Miami Beach, Florida presidential nominee = George McGovern presidential nominee state = South Dakota vice… …   Wikipedia 1992 Republican National Convention — Infobox National Political Convention caption = President George H. W. Bush and family at the podium. image size = 250 year = 1992 party = Republican date = August 17 August 20 venue = Astrodome city = Houston, Texas presidential nominee = George …   Wikipedia British Juggling Convention — The British Juggling Convention is a yearly Juggling convention Organised in a different town, by a fresh organising group each year. The event usually takes place in the second week of the Easter holidays, lasting from the Wednesday to Sunday.… …   Wikipedia 1988 Republican National Convention — Infobox National Political Convention year = 1988 party = Republican image size = 250 caption = Ronald and Nancy Reagan at the podium on August 15, 1988. date = August 15 August 18 venue = Louisiana Superdome city = New Orleans, Louisiana… …   Wikipedia Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center — was an indoor multi purpose venue, in Niagara Falls, New York, with a capacity of 10,000 people. The venue was built as part of an urban renewal project in the city. It actually was built in the center of a main thoroughfare, Falls Street, and… …   Wikipedia United States presidential election, 1992 — 1988 ← November 3, 1992 → 1996 …   Wikipedia Scott Rasmussen — (born 1955 or 1956 [http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/market research/597741 1.html He got out of sports to be a poll vaulter] Business North Carolina, October 1, 1996] ) is an American public opinion pollster. He is the founder and CEO of… …   Wikipedia Crista Samaras — is an inventor, businesswoman, record setting lacrosse player, and coach. She played lacrosse at Princeton and still holds the records she set before graduating in 1999. While at Princeton, Samaras was a two time Ivy League Player of the Year as… …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”