With a date of July 18th this is the earliest GOP convention since the 1980 Reagan convention in Detroit which started on July 14, 1980.

It also the earliest of either major party since the Clinton Dem convention in NY which started July 13, 1992.

Is going back to July conventions a mistake? With social media, and all the web-based news outlets, it’s certainly easier to get coverage in the dead of summer than it might have been 22 or 34 years ago. But a late August convention, leading into September just as many voters are starting to pay attention, still seems preferable to me.