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June is party time as Vancouver hosts political conventions

By Kathie Durbin
Published: June 6, 2010, 12:00am
3 Photos
The State Convention Center in downtown Vancouver at the Hilton Hotel will host both the Republican and Democratic state conventions in June.
The State Convention Center in downtown Vancouver at the Hilton Hotel will host both the Republican and Democratic state conventions in June. Photo Gallery

For schedules and registration information:

Washington State Republican Convention:

www.wsrp.org

Washington State Democratic Convention:

wa-democrats.org

Suddenly, we’re on the national political map.

This month, both major political parties will hold their state conventions in Clark County. And with pivotal U.S. Senate and 3rd Congressional District races in play, national political figures will be showing up for the parties.

The state Republican Party Convention begins Thursday at the Hilton Vancouver Washington and runs three days, with a Friday evening keynote speech by fiery Fox News commentator Michelle Malkin and a Saturday address to convention delegates by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Democrats arrive June 25 for a two-day convention that will feature a Saturday speech to delegates by Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine.

Romney’s name is on a short list of GOP presidential candidates for 2012. Democratic leaders say Kaine’s appearance is a clear indication of the importance the national party places on holding the U.S. Senate and 3rd District seats.

For schedules and registration information:

Washington State Republican Convention:

www.wsrp.org

Washington State Democratic Convention:

wa-democrats.org

Most events at the GOP Convention, including a Thursday evening reception at Pearson Air Museum, Saturday’s business meeting and Romney’s speech, will be open to the public with guest passes ($60 in advance online, $125 at the door).

There will be extra charges to attend candidate workshops Thursday and Friday. Tickets for the Friday evening banquet and Malkin’s speech are $95, with plenty of seats still available.

The GOP is throwing a free party for the community at Esther Short Park all day Friday. Conservative radio host Victoria Taft will host her program live from the park from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. A beer garden will open at noon, and Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt will present a key to the city to SethAaron Henderson of Vancouver, the most recent winner of the TV fashion reality show “Project Runway.”

Local band 5 Guys Named Moe will play a set from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. and a second set from 8:30 to 10 p.m.

State GOP Chairman Luke Esser said convention planners want to showcase Vancouver as “a fun place to be.”

“We will give them every reason to attend,” he said.

‘Element of inspiration’

Republicans have momentum as they compete for a rare open seat in Southwest Washington’s 3rd District and see an opening to unseat U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a three-term Democrat.

“There’s a large element of inspiration, high-profile speakers, and the opportunity to meet with Republicans from every corner of the state,” Esser said.

About 1,600 party delegates, alternates and officers, including 82 from Clark County, had registered for the convention by Friday — a record for a nonpresidential year.

About 1,000 rooms in the three host hotels — the Hilton Vancouver Washington, the Heathman Lodge and the Red Lion Hotel at the Quay — have been booked for next Friday and Saturday nights, said Jennifer Kirby, marketing and communications director for the Vancouver USA Regional Tourism Office.

Smaller hotels will get extra business as a ripple effect of the fully booked large hotels, she said.

This year, along with adopting a platform, passing resolutions and electing officers, Republicans will offer a number of workshops to help people become better candidates, Esser said — including sessions on citizen journalism, the use of social media and the U.S. Constitution.

As in the past, neither convention will endorse or “nominate” candidates. Voters will do that when they cast their ballots in the state’s top two primary Aug. 17.

And unlike in presidential election years, when delegates are pledged to specific presidential candidates, delegates in nonpresidential years won’t be committed to any one candidate.

At the GOP convention’s Saturday business meeting, all “serious” candidates will get five minutes to speak to delegates, Esser said.

Dino Rossi, who joined a crowded field of Republicans seeking to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray 10 days ago, “will get the same amount of time to speak as other candidates,” he said. “We will treat serious candidates all the same.”

Not all U.S. Senate candidates are serious, he added. “Some claim to be running but haven’t been raising money or attending party functions.”

Delegates were chosen in precinct and county caucuses earlier this year. Credentials committees at both conventions will check whether delegates have the right to be seated and cast votes during the formal business meeting.

Among the delegates will be a sprinkling of newly energized voters who identify with the Tea Party movement, We the People Vancouver, and the views of Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul. That’s likely to generate lively debate on party platform planks at Saturday’s session.

Democrats meet

The state Democratic Convention will be a day shorter than the GOP event, with Friday committee meetings, party-building forums, training sessions and caucus meetings at the Hilton, most of which will be closed to the public. Friday evening receptions will be open to the public at a cost of $50, with an extra charge for the banquet. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, will be the keynote speaker. Sen. Murray also will address the banquet crowd.

Saturday’s convention proper, including Kaine’s 11 a.m. speech to delegates, will be held at the Clark County Events Center. Members of the public can obtain free guest credentials for the convention by filing out a form on the party’s website.

Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz said he was excited about holding the convention in the 3rd District, home to one of the most closely watched congressional races in the nation.

“We understand that there were early predictions of a Republican surge in the state, but the economic news is coming back, support for health reform is coming back,” he said. “We think Democrats will surprise the pundits both in Washington and nationwide this year.”

As for the effect of Rossi’s entry into the U.S. Senate race, Pelz quipped, “The bigger they are, the harder they fall. He is a more impressive candidate than they’ve had, and he’s going to lose.”

Party time

Political conventions aren’t all business. They’re an opportunity for serious and not-so-serious political schmoozing, especially at candidates’ late-night hospitality rooms, where the liquor and the gossip flow, and where job-seekers scout out work on political campaigns.

Republicans will mingle at a wine and cheese reception at the Pearson Air Museum on Thursday evening and at receptions and a gala banquet Friday.

GOP politicians and elected officials from across the state will get a chance to savor what Vancouver has to offer over the three days. Some Republican delegates may also venture across the river, where the Portland Rose Festival will be in full swing.

Still relevant?

There are those who question whether state conventions have lost their relevance — especially in nonpresidential years, and in a state where political parties have lost considerable influence.

With the adoption of the top two primary, candidates of all parties now compete in the primary election to advance to the general election. Theoretically, at least, two Democrats or two Republicans could face off in November in key state and federal races. And both parties have chosen not to endorse candidates for federal offices this year. Instead, party leaders are letting the process play out on its own, as fundraising success or failure winnows the field.

Even debates over party platform issues are of limited significance, said Tom Hann, one of the organizers of the local Tea Party movement, We the People Vancouver.

“What’s the purpose of a platform if there’s no enforcement mechanism?” asks Hann, a delegate to the GOP convention. “What consequences are there” for candidates who fail to follow the party line? “The Republican Party lets anybody run with an R after their name.”

Secretary of State Sam Reed, a Republican, has seen more than his share of conventions over the years. These days, he said, they’re about “trying to fire up the troops going into the election. A lot of it is orchestrated around getting people more unified. Nothing hurts parties more than splintering into factions.”

“They’re absolutely relevant,” Esser said, “and more so than ever for the Republican Party, because 2010 is looking to be such a fantastic year.”

Kathie Durbin: 360-735-4523 or kathie.durbin@columbian.com.

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