We are barely into 2011, so the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., and the Republican convention in Tampa, Fla., to nominate presidential candidates for the 2012 election seem far away.
The GOP gathering is set for August 2012. The Democrat convention is scheduled for September 2012. By holding their convention in North Carolina, Democrats hope to show they can compete in the conservative South. Barack Obama narrowly won North Carolina in 2008, but Democrats lost badly in the state in the 2010 midterm elections, with Republicans taking control of both houses of the Legislature.
Republicans, meanwhile, clearly desire the electoral support of the swing state of Florida.
Obama has the advantages of incumbency and name recognition, of course. He almost certainly will be the Democrat nominee – and will be able to raise lots of campaign money.
But who will be the GOP nominee?