This is a list of Republican National Conventions . The quadrennial convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States.
Note: Conventions whose nominees won the subsequent presidential election are shaded in pink.
Dates [1] | Year | Location | State | Temporary Chair | Permanent Chair | Number of Ballots | Presidential Nominee | Vice Presidential Nominee |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
June 17–19 | 1856 | Musical Fund Hall; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Robert Emmett of New York | Henry S. Lane of Indiana | 2 | John C. Frémont of California | William L. Dayton of New Jersey |
May 16–18 | 1860 | Wigwam; Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | David Wilmot of Pennsylvania | George Ashmun of Massachusetts | 3 | Abraham Lincoln of Illinois | Hannibal Hamlin of Maine |
June 7–8 | 1864 1 | Front Street Theatre; Baltimore, Maryland | Maryland | Robert Breckinridge of Kentucky | William Dennison of Ohio | 1 | Abraham Lincoln of Illinois | Andrew Johnson of Tennessee |
May 20–21 | 1868 2 | Crosby's Opera House; Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | Carl Schurz of Missouri | Joseph R. Hawley of Connecticut | 1 | Ulysses S. Grant of Illinois | Schuyler Colfax of Indiana |
June 5–6 | 1872 2 | Academy of Music; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Morton McMichael of Pennsylvania | Thomas Settle of North Carolina | 1 | Ulysses S. Grant of Illinois | Henry Wilson of Massachusetts |
June 14–16 | 1876 | Exposition Hall; Cincinnati, Ohio | Ohio | Theodore M. Pomeroy of New York | Edward McPherson of Pennsylvania | 7 | Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio* | William A. Wheeler of New York* |
June 2–8 | 1880 | Interstate Exposition Building; Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | George F. Hoar of Massachusetts | George F. Hoar of Massachusetts | 36 | James A. Garfield of Ohio | Chester A. Arthur of New York |
June 3–6 | 1884 | Exposition Hall; Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | John R. Lynch of Mississippi | John B. Henderson of Missouri | 4 | James G. Blaine of Maine | John A. Logan of Illinois |
June 19–25 | 1888 | Auditorium Theatre; Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | John M. Thurston of Nebraska | Morris M. Estee of California | 8 | Benjamin Harrison of Ohio* | Levi P. Morton of New York* |
June 7–10 | 1892 | Industrial Exposition Building; Minneapolis, Minnesota | Minnesota | J. Sloat Fassett of New York | William McKinley of Ohio | 1 | Benjamin Harrison of Ohio | Whitelaw Reid of New York |
June 16–18 | 1896 | St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall; St. Louis, Missouri | Missouri | Charles W. Fairbanks of Indiana | John M. Thurston of Nebraska | 1 | William McKinley of Ohio | Garret Hobart of New Jersey |
June 19–21 | 1900 | Convention Hall; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Edward O. Wolcott of Colorado | Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts | 1 | William McKinley of Ohio | Theodore Roosevelt of New York |
June 21–23 | 1904 | Chicago Coliseum; Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | Elihu Root of New York | Joseph G. Cannon of Illinois | 1 | Theodore Roosevelt of New York | Charles W. Fairbanks of Indiana |
June 16–19 | 1908 | Chicago Coliseum; Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | Julius C. Burrows of Michigan | Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts | 1 | William Howard Taft of Ohio | James S. Sherman of New York |
June 18–22 | 1912 | Chicago Coliseum; Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | Elihu Root of New York | Elihu Root of New York | 1 | William Howard Taft of Ohio | James S. Sherman of New York3 |
June 7–10 | 1916 | Chicago Coliseum; Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | Warren G. Harding of Ohio | Warren G. Harding of Ohio | 3 | Charles Evans Hughes of New York | Charles W. Fairbanks of Indiana |
June 8–12 | 1920 | Chicago Coliseum; Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts | Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts | 10 | Warren G. Harding of Ohio | Calvin Coolidge of Massachusetts |
June 10–12 | 1924 | Public Auditorium; Cleveland, Ohio | Ohio | Theodore E. Burton of Ohio | Frank W. Mondell of Wyoming | 1 | Calvin Coolidge of Massachusetts | Charles G. Dawes of Illinois |
June 12–15 | 1928 | Convention Hall; Kansas City, Missouri | Missouri | Simeon D. Fess of Ohio | George H. Moses of New Hampshire | 1 | Herbert Hoover of California | Charles Curtis of Kansas |
June 14–16 | 1932 | Chicago Stadium; Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | Lester J. Dickinson of Iowa | Bertrand Snell of New York | 1 | Herbert Hoover of California | Charles Curtis of Kansas |
June 9–12 | 1936 | Public Auditorium; Cleveland, Ohio | Ohio | Frederick Steiwer of Oregon | Bertrand Snell of New York | 1 | Alf Landon of Kansas | Frank Knox of Illinois |
June 24–28 | 1940 | Convention Hall; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Harold Stassen of Minnesota | Joseph W. Martin of Massachusetts | 6 | Wendell Willkie of New York | Charles L. McNary of Oregon |
June 26–28 | 1944 | Chicago Stadium; Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | Earl Warren of California | Joseph W. Martin of Massachusetts | 1 | Thomas E. Dewey of New York | John W. Bricker of Ohio |
June 21–25 | 1948 | Convention Hall; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Dwight Green of Illinois | Joseph W. Martin of Massachusetts | 3 | Thomas E. Dewey of New York | Earl Warren of California |
July 7–11 | 1952 | International Amphitheatre; Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | Walter S. Hallanan of West Virginia | Joseph W. Martin of Massachusetts | 1 | Dwight D. Eisenhower of New York | Richard Nixon of California |
August 20–23 | 1956 | Cow Palace; Daly City, California | California | William F. Knowland of California | Joseph W. Martin of Massachusetts | 1 | Dwight D. Eisenhower of Pennsylvania | Richard Nixon of California |
July 25–28 | 1960 | International Amphitheatre; Chicago, Illinois | Illinois | Cecil Underwood of West Virginia | Charles Halleck of Indiana | 1 | Richard Nixon of California | Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. of Massachusetts |
July 13–16 | 1964 | Cow Palace; Daly City, California | California | Mark Hatfield of Oregon | Thruston Morton of Kentucky | 1 | Barry Goldwater of Arizona | William E. Miller of New York |
August 5–8 | 1968 | Miami Beach Convention Center; Miami Beach, Florida | Florida | Edward Brooke of Massachusetts | Gerald Ford of Michigan | 1 | Richard Nixon of New York | Spiro Agnew of Maryland |
August 21–23 | 1972 | Miami Beach Convention Center; Miami Beach, Florida4 | Florida | Ronald Reagan of California | Gerald Ford of Michigan | 1 | Richard Nixon of California | Spiro Agnew of Maryland |
August 16–19 | 1976 | Kemper Arena; Kansas City, Missouri | Missouri | Bob Dole of Kansas | John J. Rhodes of Arizona | 1 | Gerald Ford of Michigan | Bob Dole of Kansas |
July 14–17 | 1980 | Joe Louis Arena; Detroit, Michigan | Michigan | Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas | John J. Rhodes of Arizona | 1 | Ronald Reagan of California | George H. W. Bush of Texas |
August 20–23 | 1984 | Dallas Convention Center; Dallas, Texas | Texas | Howard Baker of Tennessee | Bob Michel of Illinois | 1 | Ronald Reagan of California | George H. W. Bush of Texas |
August 15–18 | 1988 | Louisiana Superdome; New Orleans, Louisiana | Louisiana | Elizabeth Dole of Kansas | Bob Michel of Illinois | 1 | George H. W. Bush of Texas | Dan Quayle of Indiana |
August 17–20 | 1992 | Astrodome; Houston, Texas | Texas | Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas | Bob Michel of Illinois | 1 | George H. W. Bush of Texas | Dan Quayle of Indiana |
August 12–15 | 1996 | San Diego Convention Center; San Diego, California | California | George W. Bush of Texas Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey | Newt Gingrich of Georgia | 1 | Bob Dole of Kansas | Jack Kemp of Maryland |
July 31–August 3 | 2000 | First Union Center; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Trent Lott of Mississippi | Dennis Hastert of Illinois | 1 | George W. Bush of Texas* | Dick Cheney of Wyoming* |
August 30–September 2 | 2004 | Madison Square Garden; New York City, New York | New York | Linda Lingle of Hawaii | Dennis Hastert of Illinois | 1 | George W. Bush of Texas | Dick Cheney of Wyoming |
September 1–4 | 2008 | Xcel Energy Center; Saint Paul, Minnesota | Minnesota | Mitch McConnell of Kentucky | John Boehner of Ohio | 1 | John McCain of Arizona | Sarah Palin of Alaska |
August 27–30 | 2012 | Tampa Bay Times Forum; Tampa, Florida | Florida | Mitch McConnell of Kentucky | John Boehner of Ohio | 1 | Mitt Romney of Massachusetts | Paul Ryan of Wisconsin |
July 18–21 | 2016 | Quicken Loans Arena; Cleveland, Ohio | Ohio | Mitch McConnell of Kentucky | Paul Ryan of Wisconsin | 1 | Donald Trump of New York* | Mike Pence of Indiana* |
August 24–27 | 2020 | Charlotte Convention Center; Charlotte, North Carolina (Day 1) Various locations remotely (Days 2–4)5 | North Carolina | Mitch McConnell of Kentucky | Kevin McCarthy of California | 1 | Donald Trump of Florida | Mike Pence of Indiana |
July 15–18 | 2024 | Fiserv Forum; Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Wisconsin | Mitch McConnell of Kentucky | Mike Johnson of Louisiana | 1 | Donald Trump of Florida | J. D. Vance of Ohio |
TBD | 2028 | Toyota Center; Houston, Texas | Texas | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
*Won the election despite losing the popular vote.
1This convention was known as the National Union Convention.
2This convention was known as the National Union Republican Convention.
3Sherman, who had been elected vice president in 1908, died six days before the 1912 election; he was subsequently replaced as Republican vice-presidential nominee by Nicholas M. Butler of New York.
4Originally scheduled for the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California and for August 14–16.
5Originally scheduled for the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, but the venue was changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 1920 United States presidential election was the 34th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 2, 1920. In the first election held after the end of the First World War and the first election after the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, Republican Senator Warren G. Harding of Ohio defeated Democratic Governor James M. Cox of Ohio. It was also the third presidential election in which both major party candidates were registered in the same home state; the others have been in 1860, 1904, 1940, 1944, and 2016.
The 1988 Democratic National Convention was held at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia, from July 18 to 21, 1988, to select candidates for the 1988 presidential election. At the convention Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts was nominated for president and Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas for vice president. The chair of the convention was Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Jim Wright.
The 1996 Republican National Convention convened at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California, from August 12 to August 15, 1996. The convention nominated Senator Bob Dole from Kansas, for president and former Representative and secretary of Housing and Urban Development Jack Kemp, from suburban Buffalo, New York, for vice president.
The 1988 Republican National Convention was held in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, from August 15 to August 18, 1988. It was the second time that a major party held its convention in one of the five states known as the Deep South, coming on the heels of the 1988 Democratic National Convention, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia.
The 1992 Democratic National Convention nominated Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas for president and Senator Al Gore from Tennessee for vice president; Clinton announced Gore as his running-mate on July 9, 1992. The convention was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York from July 13 to July 16, 1992. The Clinton-Gore ticket then faced and defeated their Republican opponents, President George H. W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle as well as the independent ticket of Ross Perot and James Stockdale in the 1992 presidential election.
The 1976 Republican National Convention was a United States political convention of the Republican Party that met from August 16 to August 19, 1976, to select the party's nominees for president and vice president. Held in Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, the convention nominated President Gerald Ford for a full term, but only after narrowly defeating a strong challenge from former California Governor Ronald Reagan. The convention also nominated Senator Bob Dole from Kansas for vice president, instead of Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, who did not seek nomination for a full term. The keynote address was delivered by Tennessee Senator Howard Baker. Other notable speakers included Minnesota Representative Al Quie, retired Lieutenant Colonel and former Vietnam prisoner of war Raymond Schrump, former Democratic Texas Governor John Connally, Providence, Rhode Island mayor Vincent Cianci and Michigan Senator Robert P. Griffin. It is the last national convention by either of the two major parties to feature a seriously contested nomination between candidates.
The 1952 Republican National Convention was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois from July 7 to 11, 1952, and nominated Dwight D. Eisenhower of New York, nicknamed "Ike", for president and Richard M. Nixon of California for vice president.
The 2000 Republican National Convention convened at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 31 to August 3, 2000. The 2,066 delegates assembled at the convention nominated Texas Governor George W. Bush for president and former U.S. Secretary of Defense Richard B. "Dick" Cheney for vice president.
The 1868 Republican National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States was held in Crosby's Opera House, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, on May 20 to May 21, 1868. Ulysses S. Grant won the election and became the 18th president of the United States.
The 1980 Republican National Convention convened at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, from July 14 to July 17, 1980. The Republican National Convention nominated retired Hollywood actor and former Governor Ronald Reagan of California for president and former Representative George H. W. Bush of Texas for vice president.
The 1856 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that met from June 17 to June 19, 1856, at Musical Fund Hall at 808 Locust Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the first national nominating convention of the Republican Party, founded two years earlier in 1854. It was held to nominate the party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1856 election. The convention selected John C. Frémont, a former United States Senator from California, for president, and former Senator William L. Dayton of New Jersey for vice president. The convention also appointed members of the newly established Republican National Committee.
The 1960 Republican National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois, from July 25 to July 28, 1960, at the International Amphitheatre. It was the 14th and most recent time overall that Chicago hosted the Republican National Convention, more times than any other city.
The 1928 Democratic National Convention was held at Sam Houston Hall in Houston, Texas, June 26–28, 1928. The keynote speaker was Claude G. Bowers. The convention resulted in the nomination of Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York for president and Senator Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas for vice president.
The 1940 Republican National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from June 24 to June 28, 1940. It nominated Wendell Willkie of New York for president and Senator Charles McNary of Oregon for vice president.
The 1916 Republican National Convention was held in Chicago from June 7 to June 10. A major goal of the party's bosses at the convention was to heal the bitter split within the party that had occurred in the 1912 presidential campaign. In that year, Theodore Roosevelt bolted the GOP and formed his own political party, the Progressive Party, which contained most of the GOP's liberals. William Howard Taft, the incumbent president, won the nomination of the regular Republican Party. This split in the GOP ranks divided the Republican vote and led to the election of Democrat Woodrow Wilson.
The 1912 Democratic National Convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory off North Howard Street in Baltimore from June 25 to July 2, 1912.
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 and Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin for president and vice president, 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, Florida at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. 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.
The 2016 Republican National Convention, in which delegates of the United States Republican Party chose the party's nominees for president and vice president in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, was held July 18–21, 2016, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The event marked the third time Cleveland has hosted the Republican National Convention and the first since 1936. In addition to determining the party's national ticket, the convention ratified the party platform.