--- title: Republican Convention: Politicians Speak Tuesday Night description: The Republican national convention has had some unusual speakers this year, but Tuesday is the exception. canonical: https://time.com/4413392/meet-the-politicians-speaking-at-the-republican-convention-tuesday/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-19T22:37:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:59:44.598Z article:section: Politics og:title: Meet the Politicians Speaking at the Convention Tuesday og:description: A more typical convention lineup. og:url: https://time.com/4413392/meet-the-politicians-speaking-at-the-republican-convention-tuesday/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd6253d6bba5f3be6/69889ca4196cf4b8ca03c783/05431367.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: RNC in Cleveland 2016 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Meet the Politicians Speaking at the Convention Tuesday twitter:description: A more typical convention lineup. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd6253d6bba5f3be6/69889ca4196cf4b8ca03c783/05431367.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Meet the Politicians Speaking at the Republican Convention Tuesday by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jul 19, 2016 10:37 PM UTC  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie listens during the second session on the first day of the 2016 Republican National Convention at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, July 18, 2016. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie listens during the second session on the first day of the 2016 Republican National Convention at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, July 18, 2016.Andrew Gombert—EPA by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jul 19, 2016 10:37 PM UTC The official theme of the Republican convention on Tuesday is “Make America Work Again,” but the unofficial theme might be “Make America’s Politicians Work.” With a number of Governors, Senators and former candidates choosing to skip the convention, the schedule of speakers has instead included actors, reality show stars and members of Trump’s immediate family. But Tuesday is the exception, with a roster of politicians that looks more like a traditional convention lineup. Here’s a look at the politicians who will speak on Tuesday night. **Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell**  Senator Mitch McConnell prepares to speak at the Republican Convention in Cleveland, July 19, 2016. Carlo Allegri—Reuters The Senate majority leader from Kentucky was a [late and tepid Trump backer](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/mitch-mcconnell-donald-trump-222826) once his nomination became nearly inevitable. McConnell has been [critical of Trump as the nominee](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/07/19/mitch-mcconnells-trump-pain-will-be-on-full-display-tuesday-night/), suggesting Trump needs to become more serious. He’s expected to criticize Hillary Clinton. **Speaker of the House Paul Ryan**  Speaker of the House and Permanent Chair of the Republican National Convention Paul Ryan delivers remarks on stage at the Quicken Loans Arena on the second day of the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, July 19, 2016. Shawn Thew—EPA Trump has been a headache for the Wisconsin congressman, who [withheld his endorsement](http://time.com/4327668/paul-ryan-donald-trump-meeting/) for a long time. After he finally gave it, Ryan has had [reason to speak out agains](http://time.com/4371758/paul-ryan-donald-trump-be-quiet/)t some of Trump’s statements, but ultimately gritted his teeth and stuck to his endorsement. **U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy**  House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy stands on stage prior to the start of the second day of the Republican National Convention on July 19, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Alex Wong—Getty Images The California congressman is part of the California delegation for Trump, a position that [under California delegate rules Trump gave to McCarthy himself](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/kevin-mccarthy-donald-trump-222998). McCarthy [stated he would be able to work with Trump in February](http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/02/22/kevin-mccarthy-g-o-p-house-leader-says-he-could-work-with-donald-trump/?%5Fr=0) long before many other Republicans. **Sen. Shelley Moore Capito**  Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, checks out the stage before the opening session of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland,July 18, 2016. Carolyn Kaster—AP The Republican Senator from West Virginia previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives. Moore Capito has stated she believes violence at Trump protests is [“a poor reflection on the protesters.”](http://time.com/4259104/donald-trump-violence-rallies-republican-senators/) She is [solidly pro-life](http://time.com/4228880/antonin-scalia-death-supreme-court-vacancy-congress-republican-women/) and has in the past [campaigned with Speaker Ryan](http://time.com/2983020/elizabeth-warren-paul-ryan-west-virginia-2014-election/). **Sen. Ron Johnson** The Wisconsin Senator is up for reelection this fall, and has carefully backed Trump, offering [support instead of an endorsement](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/ron-johnson-donald-trump-224527). Johnson had previously [insisted he would stay away from the RNC,](http://www.rollcall.com/news/hawkings/wisconsins-johnson-senator-decided-not-get-away) but he’s facing a tough race against former Sen. Russ Feingold. **New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie**  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie listens during the second session on the first day of the 2016 Republican National Convention at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, July 18, 2016. Andrew Gombert—EPA The New Jersey Governor endorsed Trump for president soon after he himself withdrew from the presidential race. He was on Trump’s vice presidential shortlist before Trump chose Mike Pence as his running mate. **Former presidential candidate Ben Carson** Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson raised more than $50 million for his 2016 Republican presidential bid. Since his keynote speech at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast, Carson has attracted a conservative following. He placed fourth in the Iowa caucuses and ultimately dropped out of the primaries in March, endorsing Trump. **Read More:** [_Chris Christie to Deliver Prime-Time Speech at GOP Convention_](http://time.com/4413109/republican-convention-chris-christie-speech/) **Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson**  Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson stands on stage prior to the start of the second day of the Republican National Convention on July 19, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Alex Wong—Getty Images Hutchinson has [expressed doubts about Trump](http://www.wnyc.org/story/gov-asa-hutchinson-cleveland-will-unite-gop/) as the Republican nominee. He initially endorsed Sen. Marco Rubio over Trump, [stating on NPR that he did not consider Trump’s discussion of issues serious](http://www.npr.org/2016/02/24/467988025/arkansas-gov-asa-hutchinson-donald-trumps-words-are-frightening). **Former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey** The former attorney general has been outspoken against Clinton in her email scandal, where she used a private server to send work-related emails while she was Secretary of State, and has been [a national security adviser to former candidate Jeb Bush](http://www.wsj.com/articles/clintons-emails-a-criminal-charge-is-justified-1453419158). **Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge** The Arkansas attorney general has stated she thinks [talk of a divided party will be gone by the end of the convention](http://www.npr.org/2016/07/18/486432932/latest-shooting-of-police-officers-cast-a-shadow-on-gop-convention). Any mention of the Clintons is significant from Rutledge, since the Clintons hail from Arkansas as well; she’s not the only Arkansas speaker at the convention. _Will Drabold and Julissa Higgins contributed to this report_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4413392/meet-the-politicians-speaking-at-the-republican-convention-tuesday/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4413392/meet-the-politicians-speaking-at-the-republican-convention-tuesday/"},"headline":"Meet the Politicians Speaking at the Republican Convention Tuesday","datePublished":"2016-07-19T22:37:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:59:44.598Z","description":"The Republican national convention has had some unusual speakers this year, but Tuesday is the exception.","url":"https://time.com/4413392/meet-the-politicians-speaking-at-the-republican-convention-tuesday/","keywords":["Republican National Convention","2016 Election topic","Chris Christie","Mitch McConnell","Paul Ryan","Donald Trump","kevin mccarthy"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd6253d6bba5f3be6/69889ca4196cf4b8ca03c783/05431367.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd6253d6bba5f3be6/69889ca4196cf4b8ca03c783/05431367.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"RNC in Cleveland 2016","caption":"New Jersey Governor Chris Christie listens during the second session on the first day of the 2016 Republican National Convention at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, July 18, 2016.","creditText":"Andrew Gombert—EPA","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/republican-national-convention/","name":"Republican National Convention"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4413392/meet-the-politicians-speaking-at-the-republican-convention-tuesday/","name":"Meet the Politicians Speaking at the Republican Convention Tuesday"}}]}] ```