--- title: Republican Convention: Four Stages of Being a Delegate description: This one photo shows what it's like to be a delegate at a national political convention. canonical: https://time.com/4412506/republican-convention-delegates-photo/ author: Andrew Katz article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-19T14:58:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:45:55.583Z article:section: Politics og:title: The 4 Stages of Attending a Convention in One Photo og:description: From excited to burned out to bored. og:url: https://time.com/4412506/republican-convention-delegates-photo/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt49220aa6a9f0f413/69889c7bfb4eac2c6088e562/rnc-first-day-cleveland.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Alternate delegates and visitors watch with a variety of expressions at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The 4 Stages of Attending a Convention in One Photo twitter:description: From excited to burned out to bored. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt49220aa6a9f0f413/69889c7bfb4eac2c6088e562/rnc-first-day-cleveland.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The 4 Stages of Attending a Convention in One Photo > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Andrew Katz](https://time.com/author/andrew-katz/)  ## Andrew Katz Jul 19, 2016 2:58 PM UTC  Alternate delegates and visitors watch with a variety of expression at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 18, 2016. Alternate delegates and visitors watch with a variety of expression at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 18, 2016. Mario Anzuoni—Reuters  by [Andrew Katz](https://time.com/author/andrew-katz/)  ## Andrew Katz Jul 19, 2016 2:58 PM UTC There will be a lot of great images that emerge from the 2016 political conventions. This is among the first. Mario Anzuoni of Reuters captured four people expressing four very different emotions on the [first day](http://time.com/4412088/republican-convention-donald-trump-day-one/) of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Here are the four stages of attending a convention: **The woman holding a hat:** You’re excited, or at least more than the people immediately around you. You’re an alternate delegate from Montana, according to your vest, and it’s the first day of the convention. A lot rides on what happens over the next few days. You could not be wearing more red, white and blue, but you’re willing to try the next day. **The man holding his breath:** You’re glad to be here, as an alternate delegate, but seem preoccupied. The first day was exhausting, due to a little [rumble and tumble](http://time.com/4411116/republican-convention-never-trump-floor-protest/). You won’t let it shake you though. **The man who’s asleep:** You’re pretty tired. You’re on the Montana delegation and want to see your state shine. You told someone to wake you up when it’s your turn. **The woman reading a newspaper:** You’re bored, it appears. We can’t really tell since there’s a broadsheet blocking your face. You’re not terribly concerned with the drama unfolding right in front of your eyes. 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