The 2000 Republican National Convention was held July 31–August 4, 2000, in Philadelphia.

Logistics

The 2000 Republican National Convention was held July 31–August 4, 2000, in Philadelphia.[1] Per tradition, since Democrats were the incumbent presidential party in the 2000 presidential election, the Republican convention was held on earlier dates than the Democratic National Convention.[2]

Each evening of the convention, the general sessions were scheduled to run from 7:30pm to 11pm ET.[3]

Day one: Monday, July 31

Much of the first day of the convention highlighted matters related to education reforms.[3]

Speakers on day one

In order of speech:

Speaker Position/Notability Notes Cite
Dennis Hastert speaker of the House opening convention via satellite from Carpenters' Hall (also in Philadelphia) [3]
Paul Clinton Harris member of the Virginia House of Delegates speech on principles of freedom, delivered before presentation of colors [3]
Victor Weisberg rabbi from Northbrook, Illinois invocation [3]
roll call [3]
Ben Stein television game show host and former presidential speechwriter presented a political parody of his Comedy Central game show Win Ben Stein's Money [3]
Claudia Kirkley 4th grade teacher from Durham, North Carolina speech on math and science initiatives [3]
Pilar Gomez resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin speech centered on "involvement and empowerment" [3]
Conna Craig director and president of the Institute for Children speech on child adoption and foster care [3]
Elaine Chao former president of the United Way of America (1993–1996); 4th U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation (1989–1991); wife of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell from Kentucky speech on subject of immigration and civil society [3]
Sharon Darling president of the National Center for Family Literacy speech on literacy programs [3]
Michael Feinberg teacher at a charter school in Houston, Texas speech on education [3]
Laura Bush first lady of Texas speech by wife of presidential nominee [3]
Colin Powell former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–1993) keynote address (1st of 2) [3][4]

Performers on day one

Videos shown on day one

Day two: Tuesday, August 1

Speakers on day two

In order of speech:

Speaker Position/Notability Notes Cite
Jim Kolbe congressman from Arizona speech on international trade [3]
Ave Bie Wisconsin public service commissioner speech on energy issues [3]
Theodore Roosevelt IV managing director at Lehman Brothers, environmental advocate, board member of the Hudson River Trust, and great-grandson of the late president Theodore Roosevelt speech on the environment [3]
Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. retired general; allied Commander during the Gulf War speech delivered via satellite from the deck of the USS New Jersey, marking the 10th anniversary of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait which spurred Operation Desert Storm as a response [3]
Bob Dole former U.S. Senator from Kansas (1969–1996) and former senate majority leader; 1996 presidential nominee; 1976 vice presidential nominee speech saluting American veterans [3]
Frank Ellis community leader in Kansas City, Missouri speech on neighborhood safety [3]
Patricia Funderburk Ware president of Preserving Family Well-Being Foundation speech on promiscuous lifestyles as a cause of teenage pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted disease [3]
Condoleezza Rice professor of political science; former provost of Stanford University; member of Bush campaign's foreign policy team [3]
Elizabeth Dole former U.S. secretary of labor (1989–1990); former U.S. secretary of transportation (1983–1987); unsuccessful 2000 presidential candidate; wife of 1996 nominee Bob Dole speech centered on theme of "strength through compassion" [3]
John McCain U.S. Senator of Arizona (1987–2018); unsuccessful 2000 Republican presidential candidate keynote address (2nd of 2) [3][4]

Performers on day two

Day three: Wednesday, August 2

Speakers on day three

In order of speech:

Speaker Position/Notability Notes Cite
Steve Young former NFL quarterback invocation [3]
Kenny Gamble soul singer speech on urban renewal and revitalization [3]
Leilani Durante single mother from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin [3]
Kim Jennings single mother from Rodgers, Arkansas [3]
Christina Jones business owner from Austin, Texas [3]
Jim Gilmore governor of Virginia [3]
Raul J. Fernandez chairman and chief executive of Proxicom [3]
Hector V. Barreto president of Barreto Insurance and Financial Services in Glendale, California; founder of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce [3]
continuation of roll call [3]
Marvin Hier rabbi and dean of the Museum of Tolerance [3]
Richard Riordan mayor of Los Angeles [3]
Jim Gilmore governor of Virginia [3]
[[

File:Trent Lott official portrait (3x4a).jpg|78x78px]]

Trent Lott senate majority leader from Mississippi [3]
Lynne Cheney former chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities (1986–1993) speech by wife of VP nominee [3]
Dick Cheney U.S. secretary of defense (1989–1993) acceptance speech by vice presidential nominee [3]

Performers on day three

Videos shown on day three

  • Video on Republican governors[3]
  • Video highlighting the Center for Training Employment in Cleveland[3]

Day four: Thursday, August 3

Speakers on day four

In order of speech:

Speaker Position/Notability Notes Citation
Mark Craig pastor of the Highland Park United Methodist Church invocation [3]
Nancy Brinker breast cancer awareness advocate speech on Bush's efforts to combat breast cancer [3]
Bill Frist senator from Tennessee speech on Patient's Bill of Rights [3]
Phyllis C. Hunter speech on Texas Reading Initiatives [3]
Mike Rantilla union member from Courtland, Ohio speech on Social Security and taxes [3]
Dave Wenzel former mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania; decorated veteran of the Vietnam War speech on initiatives to assist those with disabilities [3]
Bo Derek actress speech introducing Abel Maldonado [3]
Abel Maldonado member of the California State Assembly Spanish language remarks [3]
Heather Whitestone McCallum winner of the 1995 Miss America pageant remarks introducting a video tribune to Laura Bush [3]
George P. Bush nephew of presidential nominee bilingual (English and Spanish) address focused on issues impacting young Americans [3]
Vito Fossella congressman from New York speech on Social Security reform [3]
Sally Brenner and Amy Knutsen grandmother and granddaughter pair from New Jersey speech on Social Security [3]
Rudy Bradley member of the Florida House of Representatives speech on his reasons for switching parties from a Democrat to a Republican [3]
Tom Ridge governor of Pennsylvania (1995–2001) speech formally nominating Bush [3]
Jan Bullock widow of the late Texas lieutenant governor Bob Bullock [3]
Kibyjon Caldwell reverend and longtime friend of Bush introducing a video biography of Bush [3]
George W. Bush governor of Texas (1995–2000) presidential nomination acceptance speech [3]
Anthony Bevilacqua cardinal and archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (1988–2003) benediction [3]

Performers on day four

  • Presentation of colors by Korean War veterans of the Maryland Honor Guard[3]
  • Nic Lott performing the "Pledge of Allegiance"[3]
  • Lorrie Morgan performing "The Star Spangled Banner"[3]
  • Philadelphia Boy's Choir[3]
  • Chaka Kahn –closing performance[3][5]

Videos shown on day four

  • Video tribute to Laura Bush[3]
  • Video biography of Bush[3]

Balloon drop

Further information: Balloon drops at United States presidential nominating conventions

After the acceptance speech by Bush, a traditional convention-closing balloon drop took place. The 2000 balloon drop was orchestrated by Treb Heining, who had orchestrated balloon drops at the previous three Republican National Conventions. In 2000, Heining also orchestrated the Democratic National Convention balloon drop.[6]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ the first United States aviator shot-down during the Vietnam War[3]

References

  1. ^ "2000 Republican National Convention". Philly.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  2. ^ "Whose Convention Goes First?". Slate Magazine. August 3, 2000. Archived from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce "The 2000 Campaign: White House -- Republican National Convention". The New York Times. 2000. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  4. ^ a b "Donald Trump Jr. RNC speech, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  5. ^ "Singer Chaka Khan embraces funk, not GOP". Reuters. August 9, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  6. ^ "When the balloons inflated, so did a man's career". NBC News. July 31, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2026.