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By Cecile Entleitner, Associate, Blakey & Agnew
This year has been anything but ordinary. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everything from daily routines to the global economy, so it comes as no surprise that the 2020 presidential campaigns look quite different from previous cycles. Both the Trump and Biden campaigns have drastically altered their event schedules to comply with safety and social distancing guidelines. In August, the two major parties conducted the majority of their convention proceedings remotely.
While this year's conventions lasted several days as they typically do, their agendas were condensed into two-hour time slots. Conventions have traditionally been celebratory events attended by large in-person audiences with the goal of uniting party voters, presenting a policy platform, and, of course, officially nominating each party's candidate for president and vice president. These objectives remained mostly the same, though this year's conventions did provide a significantly different experience marked by shorter programs, limited audiences, and few personal interactions.
The Democratic National Convention took place August 17-20, during which former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris formally accepted their nominations as the Democratic presidential and vice-presidential candidate. Speakers, including former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, former First Lady Michelle Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and former 2020 presidential candidates, praised Biden's leadership, character, and policy proposals while criticizing the current administration. In his speech, Vice President Biden promoted national unity, vowing to represent all Americans. He discussed his economic plan to "Build Back Better," including the implementation of a national COVID-19 strategy and investing $2 trillion to modernize infrastructure as a new foundation for economic growth. The plan's recovery efforts further address strengthening domestic supply chain resilience to ensure long-term economic growth. Democratic delegates also voted to adopt their 2020 party platform. The document contains policy priorities such as universal health care, criminal justice reform, and efforts to fight climate change. Additionally, the platform reiterates the need to support the economy, manufacturing,
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and job creation through infrastructure investments, including improvements to our national freight system.
The following week, Republicans held their convention featuring a combination of pre-recorded speeches and downsized in-person events in Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC. The four-day convention included emphatic speeches in support of the Republican ticket by First Lady Melania Trump and several other Trump family members, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, as well as renomination acceptance speeches delivered in person by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Citing the restrictions on large gatherings, the Republican National Committee unanimously voted to forego the adoption of a new policy platform. Instead, they added a one-page statement to the 2016 Republican platform expressing their support for President Trump and his administration. The Trump campaign subsequently issued a separate "Fighting for You!" second term agenda, which was further outlined in the President's acceptance speech. From the White House South Lawn, President Trump discussed promoting U.S. manufacturing to support job growth and revitalize the economy, developing a COVID-19 vaccine before the end of the year, and restoring law and order.
While they were certainly untraditional, this year's conventions served their purpose of conducting official party business. With both major party candidates finalized, the ultimate decision now lies with American voters as the 2020 election quickly approaches.
Blakey & Agnew, LLC is a public affairs and
communications consulting firm based in
Washington, DC.
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