July 17, 2020
5pm - Jul/18 10pm
George R Brown Convention Center
1001 Avenida de las Americas, Houston TX
Houston / TX

The GOP Conventions are simultaneously a ton of fun… and a beating! LOL We aren’t gonna lie to you or try to sugar coat anything. The conventions are fun because you see a bunch of friends, you’re out of town, you get to hear big name speakers, you meet cool people, and you feel like you’re making a difference. In fact, the Texas State GOP Convention is the largest Republican gathering in the nation… even bigger than the National GOP Convention! The conventions are a beating, though, because getting through the process requires sitting through some boring meetings, and a lot of those meetings will drive you insane with those painstaking yet very necessary Robert’s Rules of Order!

Most importantly, however, the process is vital in maintaining our influence on the Republican Party. It is at the Convention that we decide as a body exactly what it is the party believes in and stands for… what our priorities are. For that reason, true conservatives (True Texas conservatives!) must show up en masse.

The first step is attending your Precinct Convention. It’s likely you’ve never even heard of that! It’s a little neighborhood meeting traditionally held on Primary Election Night after the polls close at your assigned polling location. Almost nobody shows up! This year Tarrant County is holding the Precinct Conventions two days later, on March 5, at 7:30pm. Click here to look up your precinct number, and then click here to look up the location for your precinct. At this convention, people can submit platform planks that define what the GOP is. You also are named a delegate to the next level of conventions, the Senatorial Convention. The Precinct Conventions generally take 30 minutes or so.

The second step is attending your Senatorial Convention. These consist of all the delegates that were named at all the Precinct Conventions within your State Senate District. The agenda is the same… submit and vote on platform planks, and name delegates to the State GOP Convention. These meetings last one full day, and generally, you are visited by several elected officials (and sometimes they give you free stuff).

The third step is attending the Texas State GOP Convention. As mentioned, this is the biggest Republican gathering in the nation! About 9,000 of us will gather this year in Houston July 17-18 (some longer) to define the state party platform, listen to various speakers, have parties and gatherings, walk through tons of vendor booths selling wares or pushing organizations, and elect party leaders. There’s always some sort of drama surrounding some controversial platform plank or election, but mostly we have a great time with great friends. And this is where you get elected to go to the National GOP Convention.

The National GOP Convention will be August 24-27 in Charlotte NC. It’s supposed to conduct party business, but in reality most of that is all done, planned and pre-determined before the convention ever starts. The week consists of getting selfies with big names in the party, networking, and hearing speakers. It is often considered a “reward” for those across the nation who have worked the hardest for Republican efforts and candidates. It’s a lot of fun, and of course there’s the balloon drop when the Republican nominee for President is announced.

As you can see, it something of a lengthy process. The chances of going to National are slim, but the real work is done at the state level, and that’s where we need you.

Here’s a key point… This year the State Convention is in Houston. Harris County is not quite a conservative mecca. In fact, it’s filled with those Establishment types. Because the convention is in their backyard and they will not have to pay for travel/meals/lodging, find childcare, or take time off of work, they will attend in large numbers. This means conservatives from around the rest of the state MUST SHOW UP!

Plan ahead! The State Convention is where we define what the Republican Party believes in and where we vote for the new Texas GOP Chair. It is very significant. We all know that as goes Texas, so goes the nation, which means we’ve got a big responsibility. Our country is depending on you!