UNITED STATES 1-4 September 2008 Republican Party holds convention to choose presidential, vice presidential candidates 

Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota, anticipates the arrival of some 20,000 GOP delegates and officials, some 15,000 media representatives and thousands of protesters for the Republican Party National Convention. Delegates from each state will arrive for the official naming of the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, and his choice for vice-president, and also fine-tune the party's campaign platform ahead of the Nov 4 election. The challenges will be raising the US $59 million to pay for the event, keeping participants safe and also devising a strategy to sustain voter focus on the convention and the party if the primary caucuses throughout 2008 have made the choice of presidential candidate a foregone conclusion.

This is the latest any major party convention has ever been convened and the first one to take place entirely in September, and the slightly closer proximity to Nov 4 could be a strategic advantage for sustaining some buzz for the GOP candidate.

Security is a particular issue because the convention coincides with the nation's Labor Day, and space for rallies in parks are at a premium. The cities' Peace and Justice Movement plans to assemble anti-war and anti-Bush demonstrators, and the expected big gathering is likely to be swelled by anti-capitalists and anti-globalization activists.

Labor organizations are expected to demand park space for rallies. The St. Paul Area Trades and Labor Assembly has held a big Labor Day gathering in one of St. Paul's parks for most of the past two decades. UPDATED Aug/08

RELATED READING:

Republican Party web
http://www.gop.com/

Washington Post 2008 election guide
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/

Leaders brainstorm how to land cash for GOP convention (AP/LaCrosse Tribune 16 Jun 2007)
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2007/06/16/mn/6m.txt