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St Paul, Minnesota: Republicans are counting on a glitch-free convention to help lift the party's sagging morale and boost John McCain's presidential prospects when they assemble in the picturesque Minnesota city of St Paul on the Mississippi River in six weeks.
Organisers planned to begin construction on Monday at the Xcel Energy Centre, home to the Minnesota Wild NHL hockey franchise, to host 4,600 delegates and alternates and thousands more guests and media September 1-4.
Conclusion
The sessions get under way just four days after Democrats conclude their own convention in Denver; never before have the two parties' events been scheduled so late in the summer, and so close together.
McCain strategists believe the timing could work to their advantage, potentially blunting the post-Denver "bounce" Obama should receive as a newly minted nominee.
And even though Obama now leads McCain by double digits in most Minnesota polls, his strategists hope a successful convention could help the Arizona senator's chances of winning the state.
Elected officials of both parties have taken a leadership role.
Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty, thought to be on McCain's short list of potential running mates, has raised funds for the convention.
The Democratic mayors of the liberal-leaning Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St Paul have done so as well, eager for the exposure such high-profile gatherings often generate.
Second term
The cities last hosted a national political convention in 1892, when President Benjamin Harrison, a Republican, was nominated to serve a second term. (He lost his re-election bid.)
This year, Republicans remain acutely mindful of the challenge they face: How best to showcase McCain, an unpopular party's aging, less-than telegenic standard-bearer, against Obama's soaring oratory and historic status as a major party's first black nominee.
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