Minnesotans head to Milwaukee to network, party, and officially nominate Trump

WASHINGTON – Even if the nomination of Donald Trump as the party’s presidential candidate is a foregone conclusion, there will be plenty of politicking and fundraising for Minnesota Republicans attending their party’s national convention in Milwaukee next week.

The first post-COVID national political convention will, first and foremost, be a rally for Trump that kicks off the home stretch of a crucial campaign. It will also be a swirl of political speeches, parties, and events five weeks before the Democrats are scheduled to hold their convention in Chicago.  

The four-day gathering in Wisconsin, a key swing state in the presidential election, will start off with a bang as Trump announces his vice-presidential pick on Monday.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance are said to be on Trump’s shortlist. 

For many Minnesotans, including state Republican Party Chairman David Hann, who leads the state’s delegation, it will be their first Republican National Convention. Many of those going to Milwaukee had been slated to attend the 2020 Republican convention, which was largely scrapped because of the pandemic.

So, the desire to have huge in-person political events has peaked this year among members of both parties.

“One objective is to be able to network with other activists,” said A.K. Kamara, 40, a Trump delegate from Forest Lake. He will become the Minnesota Republican Committeeman, representing the state Republican Party at the national level after the convention ends.

Minnesota is sending 39 delegates and 36 alternates, who would take the place of an absent or incapacitated delegate, to Milwaukee. Trump won 27 of those delegates in a March’s GOP state primary, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley won 12.

It’s not cheap to be a delegate to a national party convention. Running to become a delegate comes with a $1,000 administrative fee, and the Minnesota Republican Party advised delegates that convention-related lodging, meals, and travel would cost nearly $3,000.

Another piece of advice from the state party comes from its “code of conduct.”

“We respectfully ask that you put your best foot forward and represent Minnesota positively. We don’t want to see anyone in our delegation on the front pages for unruly behavior, over-intoxication, and/or some other negative activity or action. We already know the ‘fake news’ looks for any reason to make Republicans look bad to the world – let’s not give them one!,” the party’s delegate information packet says.

A controversial abortion plank

Since one-time Trump foe Haley released her delegates this week, allowing them to support Trump if they see fit, there isn’t expected to be much drama when the roll call is held. But the political waters will be choppy for another reason. 

The party platform the delegates will vote on during the convention has already created a ruckus because of its stance on abortion. It leaves out language banning abortion on a national level and pursuing “personhood” for embryos or fetuses, provoking complaints from evangelical voters and other Republicans who oppose abortion.

Instead, the platform reiterates the Supreme Court’s stance when it overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago — allowing individual states to pass laws concerning abortion. It also says, “we will oppose Late Term Abortion, while supporting mothers and policies that advance Prenatal Care, access to Birth Control, and IVF (fertility treatments).”

Rep. Michelle Fischbach, R-7th District, co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, declined to discuss any convention-related issues. Like all four U.S. House members from Minnesota, Fischbach is not a delegate and said she would attend her party’s national convention “for only a little while.”

In fact, none of Minnesota’s members of Congress are delegates, although they are expected to show up. In addition, Rep. Tom Emmer, R-6th District, who as majority whip is a member of the U.S. House GOP leadership, is expected to give a key speech – perhaps even in prime time.   

On Wednesday, former Vice President Mike Pence lashed out at the RNC platform.

“The RNC platform is a profound disappointment to the millions of pro-life Republicans that have always looked to the Republican Party to stand for life,” Pence wrote in a post on X.

The GOP platform covers many other issues besides abortion, including immigration and crime. It calls for closed borders, mass deportations and the “crushing” of gang violence. It also says the GOP wants to “avoid World War III,” end inflation, strengthen the military, make Washington, D.C., and other American cities “beautiful again,” and eliminate taxes on tips.

It is the first GOP platform since 2016, as the party did not adopt one in 2020.

Hann, of Eden Prairie, predicted “there’s going to be disagreements about things internally,” over the abortion plank and perhaps other aspects of his party’s latest platform.

“But platforms typically reflect the position of the candidate,” he said, and the document is likely to be easily adopted.  

To delegate Kamara, who describes himself as a “staunch pro-life person,” the platform protects the rights of states to decide their own abortion policy, and that’s just fine with him. He also said the abortion plank should not have surprised anyone.

“Trump has been foreshadowing this is the direction he wanted to go,” Kamara said.

All states not created equal

At national party conventions, the most important “swing” states – and, of course, the nominee’s home state – receive preferential treatment. That includes lodging at the best hotels near the convention site, space on the convention floor nearest the stage, dispatching the most important speakers to delegation breakfasts and other perks.

Minnesota delegates will stay at a Holiday Inn in Wauwatosa, a western suburb of Milwaukee that is only about a 15-minute drive from the convention site.

The GOP convention kicks off as Democrats wrestle with concerns over President Biden’s ability to defeat Trump after a disastrous debate performance. That’s likely to impact Republican plans to target Biden at the convention since there’s a possibility Trump’s rival for the White House may be replaced by another Democrat. 

The Cook Political Report this week revised its rating of Minnesota from “likely Democrat” to “lean Democrat” in the presidential race.

“The political divide is 50-50,” and the increasingly competitive nature of the state could make a difference at the convention, Hann said. 

While the day begins with a delegate breakfast at the hotel, activities for most delegates won’t begin in earnest until early evening, when speeches and other activities begin on the convention stage.

The convention has themes for every day. On Monday, it’s “Make America Wealthy Once Again.” Tuesday’s theme is “Make America Safe Once Again;” Wednesday’s is “Make America Strong Once Again” and Thursday – the day Trump gives his acceptance speech – is “Make America Great Once Again.”

The unofficial theme is unity, yet Hann said there will be a number of delegates pledged to Haley – who was not invited to the convention – and other Republicans who have never fully embraced Trump.

It’s Trump’s convention, Hann said, but “it doesn’t mean that every single Republican is going to be enthralled by our nominee.”

Yet Aaron Farris, 21, a Haley delegate from Albert Lea who plans to support Trump, predicted little discord.

Involved in GOP politics since he was secretary of the Freeborn County Republican Party at the age of 17, Farris said he wanted to attend the convention “to be part of history” and “make connections that will help Republicans” in the First Congressional District.

Party conventions are magnets for young activists like Farris.

“I’m one of those people who don’t like sitting back home and complaining about things,” he said.

Editor’s Note: Ana Radelat wrote this story for MinnPost.com. Radelat is MinnPost’s Washington, D.C., correspondent. 

This article first appeared on MinnPost and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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