The Republican Party will hold its 2016 presidential nominating convention more than five weeks earlier than the spot in the calendar the event had in 2012, CNN reported on Wednesday night.
Citing an unnamed GOP source, the network said the Cleveland extravaganza will be held the week of July 18, 2016. If the traditional Monday-Thursday calendar is adhered to, the nominee would close the curtain and the arena would rain balloons the night of July 21.
The 2012 GOP convention ran Aug. 27-30.
“Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is expected to tell RNC members on Wednesday evening” about the move, CNN’s Mark Preston wrote.
The move had been anticipated in general terms and some rumors had the Republicans moving the convention earlier still, into June.
Mr. Priebus has made several changes in presidential-nomination rules in his tenure as RNC chairman with the aim of avoiding a long, drawn-out primary process. He has moved to limit the number of debates, condensing the primary calendar, and having the convention as early as possible to let the nominee and the political media focus on the general election and inter-party debates and divisions rather than intra-party ones.
The RNC is meeting in the San Diego area this week to cement some of those changes and work out details.
The party that doesn’t hold the White House — the GOP in both the 2012 and 2016 cycles — traditionally holds its convention first.
In the last two election cycles, the conventions were in consecutive weeks straddling August and September, while previous convention gaps have been up to a month long.
There was no immediate word on what, if anything, the Democrats would do with their convention dates in response. Democrats have yet to officially pick a host city.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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