“[Convention] bounces have been getting smaller, which is likely a byproduct of how polarized our politics have become. There are just fewer swing voters, so it’s harder for a candidate to attract support outside of his or her core base of supporters. That said, conventions can still matter, as once you get past the volatile post-convention period, one party tends to have a lasting lead in the national polls (though not necessarily the party whose candidate received the biggest post-convention bounce).
This year, though, there’s a real question about what kind of bounce a virtual convention will produce. Democrats worry that their mostly virtual event may be unable to replicate the energizing spectacle of a traditional convention. And although Trump is pushing for a large in-person convention, there’s no guarantee this will have the desired effect, either.”
– Geoffrey Skelley, FiveThirtyEight
Election Updates
Joe Biden and Donald Trump won the Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively, in Delaware and New Jersey on Tuesday. This was Biden’s first win in his home state of Delaware following two earlier presidential campaigns. Trump won both states in the 2016 Republican presidential primary.
Bidenhired Brendan McPhillips, who led Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign in Iowa, to be his state director in Pennsylvania. Sinceré Harris was also named a senior adviser in the state.
Biden said he would reverse the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization on his first day in office.
Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Chuck Grassley, Lamar Alexander, and Mitt Romney announced they will not be attending the Republican National Convention. Reasons for their decisions varied, including the coronavirus pandemic and timing during a re-election year.
In an interview with Forbes, Kanye West said he was running as a member of the self-created Birthday Party with Wyoming preacher Michelle Tidball as his running mate. West said he had 30 days to make a final decision before ballot access became an issue. He added that his announcement was not a publicity stunt for his upcoming album.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump responded to a sniper attack on police officers in Dallas and police-involved shootings of Black men in Minnesota and Louisiana.
