November 6, 2012, Americans will line up at the voting polls across the country to cast their ballot to either re-elect President Barack Obama or elect Gov. Mitt Romney.
The choice voters are faced with is between two men with a plethora of differences; the differences further expanded after Romney chose Wisconsin Congressman, Paul Ryan, as his running mate.
With the political tickets complete, recent polls show President Obama leading Governor Romney slightly on the national level. In a four-day rolling poll, Obama led Romney by two percentage points among likely voters, 45 percent to 43 percent. That was a slight narrowing of the gap from results of the rolling poll on Monday when Obama was ahead by four points.
The 2012 Republican National Convention is currently gathering in Tampa, Fla., to formally nominate Romney and Ryan for President and Vice President, respectively. On September 4, Democrats will formally re-nominate Obama and Biden as their nominees in Charlotte, N.C.
The party conventions shed light on the vision and direction in which the parties hope to take the country. The Republicans and Democrats also use the conventions to showcase their most popular leaders. In 2004, it was the keynote speech then Senator Obama delivered at the Democratic Convention that catapulted him into national spotlight.
The Republican Party chose outspoken New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is popular with conservatives to deliver the keynote address. Julian Castro, the up-and-coming San Antonio mayor will deliver the Democrat’s keynote address. These two picks illustrate Romney’s emphasis on energizing and motivating conservatives and Obama’s focus on the Latino vote in his re-election efforts, respectively.
This year, both party conventions are being held in major battleground states. Although President Obama won both states in 2008, he won by slim margins. By hosting the convention in these cities, organizers will actively register more voters and recruit more volunteers, in hopes of gaining a competitive edge.
The conventions will receive immense media coverage and officially start the 2012 general election. The tone for both candidates and their respective parties will be set. Check out The Gramblinite each week to stay up to date as the election looms closer.