Republican National Convention

NM RNC delegation stands behind Trump

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While some state delegations remain opposed to Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention, the delegates from New Mexico appear to be behind the candidate. The Albuquerque Journal reported from Cleveland none of the 24 delegates or 21 alternate delegates publicly will voice opposition to the controversial candidate. Republican National Committee committeeman Harvey Yates told the paper that a proposed roll call vote on the rules, giving anti-Trump delegates a chance to show their opposition, was a bad idea. The former state party chairman explained, “We are a bottom-up party.”

The chances of the roll call vote actually overturning the rules, specifically the rule binding delegates to one candidate, adopted by the RNC rules committee last week were slim to none. To trigger the roll call vote, a majority of seven state delegations needed to sign petitions to that effect.

2016 elections

Yates wins national Republican party spot

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Over 600 Republicans gathered for what on its face would be a non-controversial, easy convention on Saturday. The Republican presidential primary is all but over, there are very few primaries for Republicans in legislative races (and none involving incumbents) and the party has already coalesced behind the three statewide candidates. But the increasingly ugly race for the position of Republican National Committeeman between veteran Republican politicos Pat Rogers and Harvey Yates took center stage. It also turned out not to be very close. Yates easily won election to the position on a 278 to 195 vote.

Elections

Reporters will be allowed to cover GOP convention after all

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The Republican Party of New Mexico announced on Wednesday that members of the press will, indeed, be able to cover the party’s statewide Quadrennial Convention. The announcement came a day after officials from Sandia Pueblo said press would not be allowed on the Sandia Casino grounds to cover the convention. The Sandia Tribal council reversed the decision Wednesday, according to a press release from the Republican Party of New Mexico. The release from the party said it was a “surprise” that the Sandia Tribal Council announced the decision to bar reporters from the event. In a statement, Republican Party of New Mexico spokesperson Tucker Keene said the party was unaware that press would be barred from covering the event at the casino and that the convention would have been held somewhere else otherwise.