1988 Republican National Convention

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1988 Republican National Convention

1988 presidential election
Nominees Bush and Quayle
Convention
Date(s)	August 15–18, 1988
City	New Orleans, Louisiana
Venue	Louisiana Superdome
Keynote speaker	Thomas Kean
Candidates
Presidential nominee	George H. W. Bush of Texas
Vice presidential nominee	Dan Quayle of Indiana
‹ 1984 · 1992 ›

The 1988 Republican National Convention was held in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, from August 15 to August 18, 1988. It was the second time that a major party held its convention in one of the five states known as the Deep South, coming on the heels of the 1988 Democratic National Convention, which was held in Atlanta, Georgia.

The convention nominated Vice President George Bush for president, as expected. The second spot on the ticket was not publicly known before the convention. As late as August 13, Bush had six people tabbed for consideration: House Representative Jack Kemp of New York, former United States Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole, United States Senators Bob Dole of Kansas, Pete Domenici of New Mexico, Alan Simpson of Wyoming, and James Danforth "Dan" Quayle of Indiana. Others considered were Governors Jim Thompson of Illinois and George Deukmejian of California, but each declined consideration. ^[1][2]

On August 16, Quayle was selected as Bush's vice presidential running mate. The revelation of Quayle's selection as running mate did not come until the second day of the convention, when NBC News broke the story. Until the 2024 Republican National Convention, it was the last time a major party's presidential candidate announced his vice presidential choice during his party's convention.

The convention featured speeches by Joe Paterno, Helen Hayes, Pat Robertson, a keynote address by New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, and the music of the Jimmy Maxwell Orchestra.

The convention manager was Bill R. Phillips, former Chief of Staff of the Republican National Committee.