Skipping The Convention

The Article: Jon Huntsman, Linda McMahon among Republicans planning to skip GOP convention by Rachel Rose Hartman in Yahoo! News.

The Text: Republicans have excoriated down-ballot Democratic candidates who are planning to skip this summer’s nominating convention. But the decision to steer clear of the party convention is not limited to Democrats.

Former presidential candidate Jon Huntsman announced Friday that he plans to stay home in protest.

“I will not be attending this year’s convention, nor any Republican convention in the future, until the party focuses on a bigger, bolder, more confident future for the United States—a future based on problem solving, inclusiveness, and a willingness to address the trust deficit, which is every bit as corrosive as our fiscal and economic deficits,” Huntsman said, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Huntsman had released his delegates to Mitt Romney and is no longer actively seeking office. But active candidates are making the same decision.

The campaign for Connecticut Senate candidate Linda McMahon confirmed Thursday that if the former World Wrestling Entertainment executive wins the Republican Senate nomination Aug. 14, she won’t be helping to formally nominate Mitt Romney. “Our focus is going to be on campaigning in Connecticut,” McMahon campaign spokeswoman Kate Duffy first told The Connecticut Mirror.

McMahon, who unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 2010, is likely to face criticism similar to that being lobbed at Democrats—that she is skipping the convention to distance herself from her party. McMahon’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to Yahoo News’ request for comment Friday.
McMahon is one of several Republican candidates who have recently announced plans to skip the convention.

Former Virginia Sen. George Allen confirmed this week that he plans to campaign instead of travel to Tampa, Fla.; Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg—who is running for Senate—will also not be in attendance; and Nevada Sen. Dean Heller said this week he is considering begging off if he doesn’t get a major speaking role.

“If they want us to speak, we’ll probably be there,” Heller, who skipped the 2008 convention, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “If they don’t choose for us to get a good speaking position, we’ll probably stay here and campaign.”