Mock Seriousness
OWU Students to Hold Presidential Nominating Convention Feb. 23-24
The last time Ohio Wesleyan University hosted a Republican Mock Presidential Convention, the year was 2016 and the student-delegates selected Ohio Gov. John Kasich and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for the GOP presidential and vice presidential ticket.
On Feb. 23-24, OWU will host its 2024 Mock Convention, when students again will debate and adopt a GOP platform and nominate its slate for the November presidential election. In the real world, Haley and former President Donald Trump are vying for the official nomination.
OWU's two-day event, replicating a U.S. nominating convention, will be held in University Hall's Gray Chapel, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. The public is invited to attend the free event, first held on campus in 1884.
"As you begin this two-day program, I encourage you to seize the great learning opportunities it has to offer," said Timothy Page '25 of Chicago, Illinois, co- executive director of the event. "The capacity to participate in intellectual conversation, understand other viewpoints, and collaborate to achieve common goals is critical for creating a stronger and more united society. Your participation in the Mock Convention is more than simply the event itself; it provides the groundwork for your position as engaged and responsible participants to our democracy."
The 2024 Mock Convention will kick off at 4 p.m. Feb. 23 (doors open at 3), with platform debates beginning at 7 p.m. The event will resume at 9 a.m. Feb. 24 and conclude at noon, following the election of the Republican presidential and vice presidential ticket and closing ceremonies.
Because the event traditionally features the party out of the White House, this year's Mock Convention will focus on the Republican race. The theme of the convention is "The Elephant in the Room."
Learn more about Mock Convention – and find out who else OWU students have nominated for the nation's top jobs over the past 140 years – at owu.edu/MockConvention.