Volunteer numbers for GOP, Dem conventions differ
by The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS -- One measure of the excitement being generated by the two presidential candidates might be the number of people volunteering for the national conventions.

In Denver, the host committee for the Democratic National Convention has up to 23,000 people on its volunteer list. That's compared to the 10,000 volunteers for the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

Volunteers are essential in making things run smoothly, and each city's host committee promises the political parties they'll recruit enough.

The timing of the conventions, the location and different recruiting strategies partly explain the vast difference in the number of volunteers. But the biggest reason could be politics.

Organizers in Denver began signing up volunteers more than a year ago, and enthusiasm was strong because of the historic nature of both Barack Obama's and Hillary Clinton's campaigns.