LEXINGTON, Va. – Washington and Lee is continuing political history this weekend as students are prepared to predict the next presidential nominee with its Mock Convention.
Mock Con is similar to the Democratic or Republican National Conventions where delegates nominate presidential candidates. The only difference is this event is run by students.
It’s also based on the party that is out of power at the White House. So, this year it will be a mock Republican nominating convention.
The Mock Con event started Friday with a delegate parade with floats that represented all 50 U.S. States and Territories.
“95% of Washington and Lee’s Undergrads are involved in Mock Con. A lot of that is through the parade, which is really cool. We’ve had kids out here all week building their floats and last semester we had float-building classes,” said Parade Chair Mock Con Claire Richey.
The event, which the university hosted for more than 115 years, is held every four years.
Five former presidents, vice presidents and members of Congress attended past Mock Cons. Comedian Trevor Noah also hosted one year.
This year’s speakers include Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, Donald Trump Jr., and Governor Glenn Youngkin.
Students are excited for this event.
“There’s a lot of anticipation on campus. One of the most unique things about Mock Convention is that it only takes place every four years. So, each student gets to experience it once. So that means that no student on campus has experienced a mock convention. So, I think there is a lot of buzz and a lot of excitement about what it’s gonna look like and what it’s gonna feel like,” said Mock Convention Press Secretary Addie-Grace Cook.