Republican Convention opens today

The Republican National Convention opened on Monday with President Donald J. Trump (R) having just survived an assassination attempt on Saturday. Trump will be the Republican nominee for President of the United States for the third consecutive time.

If the assassin's bullet had been one and a half inches to the right, the GOP delegates would have been meeting in Milwaukee today without a candidate. Fortunately, that did not happen. Trump will announce his running mate today. The finalists are reportedly Senators J.D. Vance (Ohio), Marco Rubio (Florida), Tim Scott (South Carolina), and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. In many cases, Presidents pick vice presidents that will bring a swing state on board with them. That is not the case here as Trump won Ohio, Florida, South Carolina, and North Dakota both in 2020 and in 2016. Trump has already served one term in office so cannot run for reelection in 2028, so the Vice President will likely be the Republican front runner in the next election: assuming they beat Biden/Harris in November.

Trump has invited former UN ambassador/South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley to speak. Haley has freed her delegates and endorsed Donald Trump.

U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) is also scheduled to speak to the convention.

"This is a moment for unity for the nation and a moment for prayer," Britt told AL.com on Saturday. "It's one of the darkest days in modern American history."

Britt has condemned political violence.

"Political violence of any kind is completely unAmerican," said Sen. Britt. "It's deplorable and unequivocally unacceptable. We have to remember we are one nation, under God. And we have to remember in moments like these, we must pray for the healing of this nation."

Britt had been mentioned as a Vice-Presidential candidate; but her star lost favor after her Republican response to the State of the Union speech was widely criticized.

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) is the leader of the Alabama delegation to the convention.

Tuberville was the first U.S. Senator to endorse Trump.

Wisconsin is an enormously important swing state. Trump won it in 2016 and won the presidency. He lost it in 2020 and Biden became President. Biden, who is struggling in the national polls, told supporters that he can still win if he wins Minesota, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Trump has a slight lead in polls in the state coming into the convention.

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