Jon Huntsman to Address W&L's Mock Convention
Former Presidential candidate Jon Huntsman will address Washington and Lee University’s Mock Convention on Friday, Feb. 10.
Huntsman dropped out of the presidential race Jan. 16th, after he finished third in the New Hampshire primaries. Huntsman is the former governor of Utah (2005-2009) and served as U.S. Ambassador to China (2009-2011).
Huntsman’s speech at the evening session on Friday adds to an impressive array of speakers, including opening night speech by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, presentations by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and U.S. House Majority Leader and Virginia Representative Eric Cantor, former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson, and former Oklahoma Representative J.C. Watts plus the Saturday keynote by former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour.
The public is invited to attend the event, which will be held in the Warner Center. Tickets are still available on mockconvention.com in limited quantities.
Mock Convention is a two-day event that will feature speeches by other distinguished politicians and analysts. The event will culminate in the final prediction of the Republican presidential nominee.
W&L’s Mock Convention is a quadrennial tradition where 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 prove their skills in the upcoming convention. Speakers of Mr. Huntsman’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).
Schedule of Events
Thursday, Feb. 9
5 p.m. — Debate between Ann Coulter and James Carville, moderated by POLITICO’s Mike Allen and Wall Street Journal’s Kelly Evans
7 p.m. — Opening Address by Gov. Mike Huckabee
Friday, Feb. 10
10 a.m. — Parade through Lexington
1 p.m. — Session One, featuring speeches by Rep. Shelley Moore Capito and Virginia GOP leaders Gov. Bob McDonnell, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor
7 p.m. — Session Two, featuring speeches by Gov. Jon Huntsman, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, Rep. J.C. Watts
Saturday, Feb. 11
10 a.m. — Session Three, featuring speeches by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, Gov. George Allen, Sen. Fred Thompson and Attorney General Henry McMaster
3 p.m. — Session Four, featuring keynote address by Gov. Haley Barbour and the Roll Call of the States, with the final prediction of the nominee
CONTACTS:
Kali McFarland ’12
mcfarlandk12@mail.wlu.edu
(757) 404-1214
Katy Stewart ’13
stewartk13@mail.wlu.edu
(704) 560-2120
Jeffery G. Hanna
Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs
jhanna@wlu.edu
(540) 458-8459
