Mock Convention Announces 2024 Speakers

Mock Convention Announces 2024 Speakers 

Glenn Youngkin, Brian Kemp, Trump Jr., and others to speak in Lexington

[2020 Mock Convention. Source: W&L Mock Convention]

LEXINGTON, VA: In a much anticipated release, the student-run W&L Mock Convention revealed their host of speakers to include Donald Trump Jr., Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, and other prominent figures in the Republican Party. 

The convention, which occurs every four years with the goal of predicting the presidential nominee for the party out of power, will take place on February 9 and 10, 2024. Mock Con delegates have predicted the correct nominee 75% of the time. 

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson will be speaking alongside conservative media personalities such as Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk, Daily Wire host Candace Owens, and former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. 

In an interview with NBC News, Mock Con Speaker’s Chair Madison McGinley, ‘24, explained that “the main goal of this convention — both from an educational and an entertainment standpoint — is to represent a wide breadth of beliefs within the party.”

The Mock Convention team has been reaching out to speakers for the past two years with the aim of finding leaders that come from different subsections of the Republican Party, McGinley explained. 

Past speakers have included President Joe Biden (1984), President Jimmy Carter (1972), President Harry Truman (1960), and Vice President Dick Cheney (2016 and 1996). President Bill Clinton gave students a saxophone concert and celebrated with them after the event in 1988. The convention has a history of inviting future presidents to speak, a detail which Mock Con leaders considered when inviting speakers for this year. 

The first Mock Convention took place in 1908 and has since become the pinnacle of W&L student involvement in civic affairs. According to the Mock Con website, it is estimated that 95% of the student body will be involved in some way by the weekend of the convention. 

General admissions tickets can be purchased publicly for in-person attendance. There will also be a live stream of the event.