Political convention

Political convention, gathering at which political parties nominate their candidates for president and vice president of the United States. The two major parties in the United States are the Democrats and the Republicans. Each party holds a political convention every four years, in the summer before a national election. The delegates represent each state in the United States, as well as Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Delegates draw up a platform, which is a description of the party's goals and positions on current issues of importance. They then nominate presidential and vice presidential candidates who will run in the national election using that platform.