Re: Media Coverage of W&L’s Mock Convention in February 2012

Washington and Lee University’s Republican Mock Convention is poised to continue its 104-year tradition as the most accurate student-run mock convention in the nation. We would be honored to have you cover the Convention on February 10th and 11th, 2012. Every four years, Mock Convention garners national media attention from nearly every major news outlet, including gavel-to-gavel coverage on C-SPAN. Time Magazine has called us “the biggest and boomingest,” and Newsweek has referred to Mock Convention as “the most realistic” nominating conclave of its kind. Our student body has an unparalleled commitment to the research and study of this year’s race for the Republican presidential nomination.

We are eager to create an authentic atmosphere at the Convention, and your media presence would ensure the fulfillment of this objective. We will have a designated area for photographers and videographers, designated press seating, and a press room for filing. Alternatively, if a full broadcast is not possible, we will be filming in-house, which we can stream to your organization. Some of our esteemed speakers will be offering interviews with the press—this information will be made available closer to the event.

Every four years, Mock Convention draws in an incomparable 95 to 99 percent of the University's students to participate in or witness this rich and storied educational exercise. There is no other university in the nation that can claim a more impressive record of student involvement and interest in electoral politics than Washington and Lee; the student body is committed to discussing and examining our nation’s current political landscape. It is our students’ initiative, creativity, innovation, and pursuit of excellence that set this organization apart from others of its kind and, most importantly, that preserve its commitment to an unerring and conscientious study of American civics.

Traditionally, Mock Convention’s quadrennial seminal events take place over the course of nine months. In May, more than 1,000 students and spectators were on hand for Karl Rove’s keynote address to our Spring Kickoff. Our organization has grown tremendously since that time, as we now have over 1700 out of 1750 total students involved in the preparation and execution of the Convention. This February, our students’ hard work will culminate in the Convention weekend, during which we will make our research-based prediction of the next non-incumbent presidential nominee. Each event will draw between 1500 and 2500 attendees, as we are sure to continue our extraordinary tradition of predicting the correct nominee.

In keeping with our tradition of bringing Washington’s most influential and prominent speakers to Washington and Lee, we are pleased to announce Governor Haley Barbour as our Saturday keynote speaker to the Convention in February 2012. Other speakers, including a keynote on Friday, will be announced closer to the Convention.

This site provides accommodation and travel information for your visit, up-to-the-minute schedule information, as well as photos and background information about our speakers. More information about the history of our organization can be found at our website: http://mockconvention.com.

Please contact us for press credentials and if you have any questions.

Sincerely Yours,

Kali McFarland '12 mcfarlandk12@mail.wlu.edu (757) 404-1214
Katy Stewart '13 stewartk13@mail.wlu.edu (704) 560-2120
Jeff Hanna jhanna@wlu.edu (540) 458-8459

Carville, Coulter, and Huckabee
to Open Washington and Lee’s Mock Convention

A debate between Democratic strategist James Carville and GOP pundit Ann Coulter will be followed by a speech from former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee on the opening night of Washington and Lee University's Mock Republican Convention on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012.

That event, set for the Warner Center, will be open to the public. Tickets are available online.

Carville is one of America’s best-known political consultants. He is widely credited for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential victory. He is the author of nine books and is a talk-show host and frequent CNN contributor. Carville is also a member of the political science faculty at Tulane University

Coulter, one of the most recognizable faces of conservatism, is known for her biting wit and polarizing delivery. She has written eight New York Times bestsellers and is frequently featured on television shows such as Good Morning America, The Today Show, Hannity, and the O’Reilly Factor.

Huckabee rose to fame during the 2008 primary cycle, in which the former pastor placed second to John McCain.  He currently hosts the weekend hit “HUCKABEE” on Fox News Channel, and is syndicated on almost 600 stations by the Citadel Media Network.

The Carville-Coulter debate will begin at 5 p.m. and Governor Huckabee will speak at 7 pm.

The program opens the quadrennial Mock Convention, which will feature additional speeches by other distinguished politicians and analysts, including a keynote address by Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.  The event will culminate in a final prediction of the Republican presidential nominee.

W&L’s Mock Convention is a quadrennial tradition in which students pick the presidential nominee for the party out of power.  Nearly the entire W&L student body, roughly 99% of all students, works for three years researching potential candidates, tracking polls, and gathering on-the-ground data.  With only two incorrect predictions since 1948, and an overall accuracy rate of over 75 percent, Mock Con has been called “the most realistic” exercise of its kind by Newsweek magazine.

After incorrectly selecting Hillary Clinton as the 2008 Democratic nominee, the students are eager to make an accurate prediction in the upcoming convention.  Speakers of Huckabee’s, Carville’s, and Coulter’s caliber solidify the convention’s credibility and will ensure that in 2012 W&L Mock Convention will reaffirm its place as “the biggest and boomingest” of student political organizations (TIME  Magazine).

Media Contacts:
Kali McFarland ’12  mcfarlandk12@mail.wlu.edu  (757) 404-1214
Katy Stewart ’13 stewartk13@mail.wlu.edu  (704) 560-2120
Jeff Hanna jhanna@wlu.edu (540) 458-8459