Republican Elders Including Bush and Romney to Skip National Convention
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris was evaluated as having overwhelmed former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, by mobilizing a large number of senior party politicians such as former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton at the convention. While senior Republican figures symbolizing American conservatism, such as former President George W. Bush, did not gather at the Republican convention, Vice President Harris succeeded in party unification and gained a favorable position.
The U.S. political media outlet The Hill reported on the 22nd (local time) that "Harris and the Democrats are winning the unification competition against Trump and the Republicans." Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack and Michelle Obama, and President Joe Biden attended the Democratic National Convention held in Chicago, Illinois, from the 19th to the 22nd, supporting Vice President Harris and lending their strength.
Former Secretary Clinton said in her speech, "Kamala has the character, experience, and vision to lead us. I know her heart and sincerity," and former President Obama also expressed support, saying, "She is someone who has fought all her life on behalf of those who need a voice and a representative."
However, former President Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, Senator Mitt Romney, as well as former Vice President Mike Pence, who served in the Trump administration, did not attend the Republican National Convention held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from the 15th to the 18th. Even Mike Pence, who served as vice president under the Trump administration, was absent. He has stated that he will not vote for former President Trump.
The Hill analyzed that although Republicans showed unity after the attack on former President Trump, the Democrats overcame divisions caused by the controversy over President Biden's resignation and united around Vice President Harris, winning the unification battle.
There is also an analysis that senior figures such as former President Bush and former Vice President Cheney, who were effectively expelled by the hard-right so-called 'MAGA (Make America Great Again, Trump's campaign slogan)' faction within the Republican Party, would not respond to the invitation.
Frank Luntz, a Republican pollster, said that while the Republican convention was entirely about Trump, the Democratic convention was closer to a 'movement,' adding, "In the end, ordinary movements perform better. This is the secret to why Harris is doing well and why he (Trump) is not."
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