Republicans will meet in Cleveland, Ohio, next year for a mid-July 2016 presidential candidate.
The early convention will run from July 18 to July 21. That’s a month earlier than the GOP’s 2012 convention, the party’s chairman announced.
“I’m pleased to announce the 2016 Republican National Convention will kick off on July 18,” RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement.
The Republicans chose Cleveland last year to host the 2016 convention, 80 years after that Lake Erie town’s last GOP convention. Ohio is a crucial swing state for presidential elections.
By having the convention earlier in the year, Priebus noted it will allow “access to crucial general election funds earlier than ever before to give our nominee a strong advantage heading into Election Day.”
The August 2012, convention in Tampa, Fla., capped a debate-heavy primary in which Mitt Romney won with 37 states and former Sen. Rick Santorum placed with 11 states. Romney went on to lose to President Obama in the general election.
The last time the Republicans met in Cleveland was 1936, when Kansas Gov. Alf Landon was picked as the presidential nominee. He lost to the Democratic incumbent, Franklin Roosevelt.
The Democratic National Convention will take place in either New York City, Philadelphia or Columbus, Ohio.
