News Analysis: Trump looks to Republican convention for bump in polling numbers

U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump needs a bump in his numbers to win the White House, and he is looking to the Republican National Convention (RNC) to make that happen, experts said.

"I think what we're trying to figure out is when we leave the convention, how big is the bounce going to be in the polls," Republican strategist Ford O'Connell told Xinhua via phone from the convention in Cleveland, Ohio.

Currently, Trump is neck-in-neck with his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, with Wednesday's Real Clear Politics' poll average showing Clinton ahead by a hair, leading by 2.7 points - a mere sliver given that the margin of error is 2 points.

Trump is gambling that he can get around 91 or 92 percent of Republican voters to cast their ballots for him, which he needs to clinch the election victory.

Strategists say that galvanizing rank-and-file Republican voters is Trump's best chance to win, as the bombastic candidate has sparked much controversy during his campaign and turned off many independents.

The anti-establishment real estate tycoon has compared Mexicans to rapists and has called for a ban on Muslims entering the country - statements unpopular for many voters who are on the fence.

"Usually you get an eight to ten point bounce coming out of a convention... But the question is going to be will Hillary also get eight to ten points, because if she does (after the Democratic convention) we're going to be right back to where we were," O'Connell said.

In order to get a major bounce from white working class Americans - his bastion of support - Trump will have to hit the ball out of the park in Thursday's acceptance speech. And that means not only making a clear case for his candidacy, but also explaining why rival Clinton would be bad for the nation.

"He wants to instill confidence (in voters) that he's going to govern reasonably as an agent of change," O'Connell said. "If he gets that point across, I think a lot more people will feel comfortable with him."

TRUMP NEEDS TO UNIFY PARTY

Ralph Winnie, an alternate delegate for the state of Hawaii, told Xinhua that Trump needs to get over 90 percent of the Republican vote.

"If he does that, it doesn't matter that the Bushes or Romney or others don't have a presence of the convention," he said via phone from the convention, referring to former President George W. Bush and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney who refused to attend due to their disagreement with Trump.

Trump "needs the rank and file to come out and support him," Winnie said.

"Pence was a great choice for (as a running mate)," he said, referring to Trump's choice of Indiana Governor Mike Pence for vice president, who boasts solid conservative credentials and is much more reserved than the bombastic Trump.

"That solidifies support with the conservative wing of the party," he said.

Establishment Republicans have slammed Trump for not being, in their opinion, a true conservative.

The U.S. liberal media does not like Trump, but Winnie said Pence may help engage with the media, and Pence has the credentials to do that.

Moreover, while Trump struggled to gain favor with evangelicals - an important Republican voting bloc - during the primaries, Pence will help solidify support among that group, he said.

"Mike Pence has tremendous respect and credibility with the evangelical movement," Winnie said. Enditem