Frederica Freyberg:
The Republican National Convention is less than two weeks away, and the Democratic convention is coming in late August. Each will bring thousands of visitors and millions in revenue to Milwaukee and Chicago. But what is a national convention and who gets to go? “Here & Now” reporter Aditi Debnath has more.

Aditi Debnath:
Two major Midwest cities are gearing up to host national political conventions this summer. The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Republicans will meet in less than two weeks to select former President Donald Trump as their nominee for the presidential election. Democrats would nominate President Joe Biden if he doesn’t drop out of the race before the DNC in late August. This is the main purpose of these conventions: officially selecting presidential nominees. Delegates from each state attend the event on behalf of the Democratic or Republican voters in their state. Delegates can be party officials that represent the state, like Wisconsin’s Republican Party Chair Brian Schimming or Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler. They can also be district delegates that represent voters in one of Wisconsin’s eight congressional districts. Almost 2500 delegates will visit Milwaukee in July, 41 of which are from Wisconsin. The DNC is larger and Wisconsin will send 95 out of 4600 delegates. The conventions are not just a place for presidential nominees to win over voters watching at home. Up and coming political figures give speeches throughout the week, which can put them on the map for future partisan elections. Conventions are also a place for parties to decide on their political platform moving forward. Delegates and party members determine a party’s platform by making policy recommendations, which often align with a presidential nominee’s campaign proposals. This aspect of the convention is crucial in giving party members space to disagree and resolve political conflict within the party. In the 2020 presidential election, the GOP made no changes to their platform as former President Trump was running as an incumbent. The Dems did update their platform that year, which included recommendations made by delegates that had voted for Bernie Sanders. This included investing in climate change prevention and attempting to relieve student debt. The unique partnership between Biden and Sanders helped Biden win Sander’s supporters in the general election, which included many young voters. This election year, neither party’s presumed nominee has a high-profile opponent in the primary. Viewers can watch the RNC and DNC live at home as the events are closed off to the public. Both conventions are four days long. The RNC begins July 15 and the DNC begins August 19. For “Here & Now,” I’m Aditi Debnath.