Washington and Lee Mock Convention
Encyclopedia
Washington and Lee Mock Convention is a simulated Presidential nominating convention and is held once every four years, during the early stages of the U.S. Presidential Primary, at Washington and Lee University
. Although Oberlin College has the distinction of having the oldest student-run mock political convention in the country, W&L's convention has the reputation for being the most accurate. It often receives gavel-to-gavel coverage on C-SPAN.
Since its inception in 1908, the student body has been correct 18 out of 24 times, with only two incorrect predictions since 1948 .
The Mock Convention that took place on January 25 and 26, 2008 projected Hillary Rodham Clinton
as the Democratic nominee for that election year. The Mock Convention was mistaken, however, as Barack Obama was eventually elected as the nominee. The next convention takes place in 2012 and will be headed by three enrolled undergraduates, one of whom is rising sophomore Charles Tucker Pribor.
With the exception of the 1920 and 1944 elections, the Mock Convention has occurred every four years since the original 1948 election. The state delegations are known to go to great lengths for accuracy: the 1952 state chair for California, David Constine, developed a correspondence with California Governor Earl Warren, one of the leading candidates. As it rose in prominence, the convention gathered an impressive docket of speakers, including Harry S. Truman and former Vice President Alben Barkley, who died in the midst of a speech at the 1956 convention.
In addition to the convention itself, W&L hosts a large number of formal and informal celebrations in honor of the Convention and its honored guests, including parades, parties, and balls. These events have seen some of the Convention’s most famous stories. In 1972, then-governor Jimmy Carter’s speech at the Con was missed by his own press secretary, who had been celebrating with a group of W&L students and alumni. Before his famous MTV appearance, Bill Clinton played an impromptu concert for students at an off-campus party for the 1988 Convention.
By 1996, the Mock Convention was acknowledged by the Washington Post as “one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious mock conventions.”
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
. Although Oberlin College has the distinction of having the oldest student-run mock political convention in the country, W&L's convention has the reputation for being the most accurate. It often receives gavel-to-gavel coverage on C-SPAN.
Since its inception in 1908, the student body has been correct 18 out of 24 times, with only two incorrect predictions since 1948 .
The Mock Convention that took place on January 25 and 26, 2008 projected Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
as the Democratic nominee for that election year. The Mock Convention was mistaken, however, as Barack Obama was eventually elected as the nominee. The next convention takes place in 2012 and will be headed by three enrolled undergraduates, one of whom is rising sophomore Charles Tucker Pribor.
History
In the spring of 1908, William Jennings Bryan, a front-runner for the Democratic presidential candidacy, announced a visit to Lexington, Virginia, arousing interest in Washington and Lee’s already political-minded campus. To capitalize on the furor, The Forum, W&L’s leading political organization at the time, organized a replica of the upcoming Democratic Convention. The event was an enormous success, owing to the highly political student body: according to the Lexington Gazette, “The young gentlemen entered into the meeting with the zest of seasoned politicians plus the enthusiasm of collegians”. After fierce (and occasionally chaotic) debate, the campus correctly predicted Bryan to be the 1908 Democratic nominee.With the exception of the 1920 and 1944 elections, the Mock Convention has occurred every four years since the original 1948 election. The state delegations are known to go to great lengths for accuracy: the 1952 state chair for California, David Constine, developed a correspondence with California Governor Earl Warren, one of the leading candidates. As it rose in prominence, the convention gathered an impressive docket of speakers, including Harry S. Truman and former Vice President Alben Barkley, who died in the midst of a speech at the 1956 convention.
In addition to the convention itself, W&L hosts a large number of formal and informal celebrations in honor of the Convention and its honored guests, including parades, parties, and balls. These events have seen some of the Convention’s most famous stories. In 1972, then-governor Jimmy Carter’s speech at the Con was missed by his own press secretary, who had been celebrating with a group of W&L students and alumni. Before his famous MTV appearance, Bill Clinton played an impromptu concert for students at an off-campus party for the 1988 Convention.
By 1996, the Mock Convention was acknowledged by the Washington Post as “one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious mock conventions.”