Can a political party get any attention when its rival holds a national convention? Yes, but it’s not easy

Vice President Kamala Harris greets President Joe Biden on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2024. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images by Stephen J. Farnsworth, University of Mary Washington Even for former U.S. President Donald Trump, a master at attention-getting, trying to counterprogram during the Democratic National Convention is nearly impossible. When one party’s members and supporters gather for their biggest party every four years, the other party routinely endures a week of being largely ignored, no matter how creative or dramatic its own counterprogramming efforts may be. That doesn’t mean that opposing party campaigns should go on vacation during convention week. They can and do make their case regarding the upcoming election while the other party honors its nominees. But with all the reporters and public attention focused on the convention, these four-day gatherings are far from optimal times for the opposing party to be heard. The typically one-sided media attention of convention weeks is part of the reason that political campaigns usually see a post-convention bounce of a few percentage points. But the impact of conventions on public opinion used to be much greater in the past, when there was less political polarization....