With primary competitors like Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul now in the distant past, and with his running mate now chosen, Mitt Romney is ready to kick his campaign against Obama into high gear. And at the Republican National Convention this week, he’ll have the opportunity to define precisely where he and Paul Ryan stand in opposition to the Democrats.
Historically, candidates have used the publicity afforded by the national conventions as an opportunity to define, or to redefine, their campaign to the American public.
Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University.
