ABSTRACT
This chapter shows how individual delegates react to the convention environment, how they feel about it, and how they interpret what they see and hear. As the convention provides an environment conducive to anxiety, so it also provides opportunities for adjustment. In seeking to understand behavior at national conventions it must never be forgotten that the delegates come from state parties which are going institutions with an internal life of their own. The interrelationships between local and national politics were foremost in the thoughts of Ohio’s political leadership as the 1960 Presidential nominating campaign approached. The structural fact that Ohio has a Presidential primary in which delegates are publicly pledged to a particular candidate vitally affects the strategies of the participants. Capture of the Ohio delegation was the first big coup for Kennedy and helped establish him as a serious contender for the nomination. Public mores invade private conscience and impose tremendous demands on the delegate.
