The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S. presidential election, and to adopt the party platform and rules for the election cycle.

Like the Democratic National Convention, it signifies the end of a presidential primary season and the start of campaigning for a general election. In recent years, the nominee has been known well before the convention, leading many to oppose the convention as a mere public relations event and coronation.

Historically, the convention was the final determinant of the nomination, and often contentious as various factions of party insiders maneuvered to advance their candidates. Since the almost universal adoption of the primary election for selecting delegates in the last quarter of the 20th century, however, the convention's significance has diminished. The national party focuses on the convention as a unity point to bring together a party platform and state parties.

The Republican Party receives nearly $15 million from the Federal Election Committee to hold its national convention. On November 9, 2007, the Republican National Committee published its Call for the 2008 Republican National Convention which directed that the national convention be convened in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota on September 1, 2008 for a period of time to continue so long as may be necessary to nominate a presidential and vice presidential candidate.

Delegations

The size of delegations to the Republican National Convention are determined by Rule 13 of the party's national rules, which as of 2008 indicate the following:

1. Ten delegates at large from each of the fifty states.
2. The national committeeman, the national committeewoman and the chairman of the state Republican Party of each state, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
3. Three district delegates for each member of the United States House of Representatives from each state, sixteen from D.C., twenty from Puerto Rico, and six each from American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
4. From each state having cast at least a majority of its Electoral College votes for the Republican nominee in the preceding presidential election four and one-half delegates at large plus a number of the delegates at large equal to 60 percent of the number of electoral votes of that state, rounding any fraction upwards.
5. one additional delegate at large to each state for any and each of the following public officials who is a member of the Republican Party elected in the year of the last preceding presidential election or at any subsequent election held prior to January 1 of the year in which the next national convention is held:
   1. governor
   2. at least half of the state's representatives in the United States House of Representatives
   3. a majority of members of any chamber of the state legislature, if also presided over by a Republican
   4. a majority of members of all chambers of the state legislature, if also presided over by a Republican
   5. any and each Republican United States Senator elected by such state in the six-year period prior to January 1 of the year in which the next national convention is held.
   6. one additional delegate to each state per Republican it elected to the United States Senate in the six-year period prior to January 1 of the year in which the next national convention is held
   7. in addition, if the District of Columbia shall have cast its electoral votes, or a majority thereof, for the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the last preceding presidential election: four and one half delegates at large plus the number of delegates at large equal to thirty percent (30%) of the 16 delegates at large allotted to the District of Columbia, rounding any fraction upward.