Mr. Chairman...

TV advertising is expensive -- $67,000 a second during the last Super Bowl. So when ballot time comes, delegations seize the chance for some free self-promotion, political potshots or just plain bragging. Roll call begins tonight.

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ARIZONA

‘The ideal site for the supercon-ducting super collider.’

-- Democrats, 1988

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UTAH

‘The only state that starts with U.’

-- Democrats, 1996

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ALASKA

‘The largest state in the union, larger than Texas, California and Montana combined, rich in natural beauty and natural resources, Alaska truly is the great land where we cherish the right to keep and bear arms.’

-- Republicans, 1996

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NEW HAMPSHIRE

[When the 1992 Republican delegates were called to vote, they said nothing. The delegation had fallen asleep.]

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TEXAS*

‘From the vast prairies of the Red River country to the piney woods of East Texas, from the rolling hills of Central Texas to the sandy beaches of the Texas Gulf Coast, from the booming metropolises of Dallas and Houston to the towns that border on the Rio Grande ... a Texas where no dream is too small and no dream is too grand ... a Texas where diversity is more than a goal, it’s who we are.’

-- Republicans, 2000

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MINNESOTA

‘The land of 10,000 lakes and one goofy governor.’

--Republicans, 2000 *

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LOUISIANA

‘The happiest delegation at the convention.’

-- Democrats, 1996

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Compiled by JOHN TYRRELL / Los Angeles Times