Posted July 14, 2016

Answer This: What happens at a political convention?

Robin Kolodny explains what happens at the momentous political gatherings that take place every four years. More than parties, she says.

Video Production: Gina Benigno

Expert: Robin Kolodny
Title: Chair and professor, Department of Political Science
Areas of interest: Campaign finance, comparative politics, electoral systems, legislative studies, policy studies, political consultants, political parties
Recently published: Trump campaign shows why all Americans need a liberal arts education

Protests, parties, and the traditional pomp and circumstance: That’s what many are expecting of the political conventions steadfastly approaching.

But what else should we look for? Apart from the official nominations being made for each party’s presumptive nominees, why will Democrats gather en masse in Philadelphia, the Republicans in Cleveland? We turned to Temple’s Political Science Department Chair Robin Kolodny for answers, starting with a simple question: What happens at a political convention?

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