Giuliani earns GOP nod on second ballot

By Mark Butzow

You would have to go back decades to find the last time a major party had multiple candidates still fighting for enough delegates to secure the nomination when the National Convention arrives.

Tuesday in Western Illinois University’s Mock Presidential Election, both “national conventions” began with the outcome still unknown. That was by design, associate director John Hemingway said after “Super Tuesday” last week. Had last week’s simulation awarded both pledged delegates and so-called Super Delegates, there wouldn’t be any drama for the culminating night of the conventions.

And it certainly made for some drama in the Republican half of the night. No candidate got enough delegates on the first ballot to win the nomination outright, something that doesn’t happen in American presidential politics very often.

After a period of jockeying and negotiating, delegates shifted support enough that Rudy Giuliani surpassed the threshold needed to earn the nomination. Second-place finisher Mitt Romney then got left out when Giuliani’s running mate was selected. John McCain got the job.

Also noteworthy: Student participants awarded U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas 425 delegates in the first round of voting, reflecting the newfound attention he’s received recently in the actual campaign. Paul was the Libertarians’ presidential candidate in 1988, finishing third behind George H.W. Bush and Democrat Michael Dukakis.

Before the voting, campaign managers for the Republican candidates tried to find more votes, but most delegates seemed to have their minds made up..

So, after counting up all the votes, no one reached the 1,259 votes needed to claim a majority and win the nomination. Giuliani had 905, Romney attracted 762, and Paul earned 425. Word got out that Giuliani wanted John McCain to be his vice presidential candidate, and that was enough to persuade some states to switch their votes from McCain to Giuliani.

On the second ballot, Arizona delegates who initially voted for McCain gave all 259 votes to Giuliani. Texas delegates gave Romney’s 762 votes to Giuliani as well.
Giuliani received 1,489 votes, earning him the Republican presidential nomination. Then, keeping its promise, the Giuliani campaign nominated McCain for vice president. He was elected by acclimation.

The Giuliani-McCain ticket, and the Democrats’ Obama-Edwards campaign, will campaign for votes during the next several days, leading up to a simulated Election Day on Monday, Nov. 5, the culminating event of Western’s ambitious civic engagement exercise.

In the meantime, two more political parties – the Green Party and Libertarian Party – will choose nominees in 90-minute conventions Thursday evening in the Union’s LaMoine Room.

Journalism student Aundrea Noblet contributed to this story.