Donald Trump’s convention speakers lineup ‘unconventional’

Donald Trump’s different kind of candidacy will be matched by a different kind of lineup from the speaker’s rostrum at the Republican National Convention, which features his photogenic family and flashy celebrities but is light on the kinds of party heavy-hitters who usually make up Republicans’ quadrennial confab.

Convention officials released a final schedule Sunday night, acknowledging it was an “unconventional lineup” that relies on veterans, political outsiders, religious leaders, many of Mr. Trump’s primary election opponents and the candidate’s own family members to make his case for upending the Democrats’ hold on the White House.

“We feel that the personal story of Donald Trump is something that needs to be told,” Paul Mannafort, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, told reporters Sunday in explaining why Mr. Trump’s wife and four of his children will be speaking.

Also on the list over the four-day convention are actors Scott Baio, Antonio Sabato Jr. and Kimberlin Brown; sports figures Natalie Gulbis, a golfer, and mixed martial arts impresario Dana White; and a number of former U.S. troops, including some who were part of the attempt to defend the U.S. outpost in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012.

Absent from the speakers list released last week are Republican bigwigs, who are usually staples at the party’s national convention.

Former President George W. Bush and his father, former President George H.W. Bush, will not be speaking. Nor will 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain or 2012 nominee Mitt Romney, who is actively campaigning against Mr. Trump.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, Wisconsin Republican and Mr. Romney’s running mate in 2012, will speak, but that is inevitable given his role as convention chairman. He is the only person who has been on a national Republican Party ticket who is slated to address the convention.

“This speakers list is very different, that’s for sure,” said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. “There are some regular pols on there, and most nominees feature their family, but this is more like a family gathering or a minor celebrity fest or a variety show than a political convention.”

Mr. Sabato, who has attended every convention since 1976, said speakers lineups don’t make much of a difference when it comes to winning or losing votes in November.

All told, six members of the House, eight senators and five governors — including Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Mr. Trump’s running mate — will speak. Among the senators will be Sen. Marco Rubio, one of Mr. Trump’s primary opponents, who earlier said he would be too busy running for re-election in Florida but is listed as a speaker on Wednesday night. The Rubio campaign said it would be a video message.

The party also recruited a black Democrat to speak, Sheriff David Clarke of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, an outspoken supporter of Second Amendment rights and a favorite of many Republicans.

Still, it’s a step down from 2008, when Republicans hosted Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential nominee eight years earlier. In 2012, Republicans’ crossover speaker was former U.S. Rep. Artur Davis of Alabama, a black Democrat who was flirting with a run for office as a Republican.

In 2012, Republicans also made a point to underscore diversity. Mr. Davis was joined by Rep. Mia Love, the only black Republican woman in Congress, and a handful of Hispanic Republican governors and senators.

Mr. Trump’s campaign stances, which included a fierce enforcement position on immigration and an antipathy toward free trade deals, left many who spoke at previous conventions begging off.

But Trump officials said they are thrilled with a lineup that is light on politicians. “We’ll be featuring speakers this week that really are beyond just the traditional political figures,” Mr. Manafort said.

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, who studies political communications, said the test for the unusual lineup of speakers will be how well they sell Mr. Trump’s mantra that he can help the country win.

“Do viewers consider these speakers winners? And if so, do these speakers have the credibility to certify Mr. Trump’s ability to deliver on his promise?” she said.

Still to be seen is how many people tune in. The 2012 Republican National Convention struggled with mediocre ratings, with the key 10 p.m. hour averaging just 17.2 million viewers — down from the nearly 22 million in 2008. Mr. Obama’s convention, meanwhile, drew an average of 21.7 million viewers in the 10 p.m. hour in 2008, according to the Center for Politics.

Mr. Trump’s presence on the campaign trail upended all expectations during the primary race. He helped set viewership records for the debates, and his appearances were considered must-carry events for the cable news networks.