Sussex GOP heads to 2016 RNC
Thousands of delegates and alternate delegates are in Cleveland, Ohio for the next four days as Donald Trump is set to take over the Quicken Loans Arena for the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Billy Carroll, chairman of the Sussex County Republican Party, arrived in Cleveland on Sunday afternoon.
The convention officially kicked off at 1 p.m. Monday, and created some uproar. Delegates approved the rules that will govern the convention, but it did take two votes.
The rules won approval in an initial voice vote; however, anti-Donald Trump delegates began chanting in opposition.
Despite this, Carroll says the convention seems promising overall. He is attending the convention as a delegate.
One of the pressures Trump is facing is bringing the party together. According to a new CNN/ORC poll, 68 percent of republican and republican-leaning voters say the party will unite before November’s election.
Carroll says Trump’s decision of picking Indiana Governor Mike Pence as vice-president has been a major help toward party unity.
“Pence represents that part of the party that was sort of leaning towards Cruz or leaning towards and some others in the primaries at the end like Rubio,” says Carroll.
At a press conference Saturday, Trump admitted it’s one of the reasons why he chose Pence.
“So many people have said party unity,” says Trump. “Because I’m an outsider. I want to be an outsider. I think it’s one of the reasons I won in landslides. I won in landslides. This wasn’t close.”
Carroll tells 47ABC, he’ll get a vote at the convention this week. Given a reported record 65% of Sussex County republican voters participating in the April primaries, he says Trump can count on him for a vote.
“Of those [voters] 72% I believe it was, voted for Donald Trump,” he says. “So if I were to vote for anybody else other than Donald Trump, I’d have to join the witness protection program. I wouldn’t be able to come back to Sussex County.”
Each night of the four-night gathering in Cleveland will center on a different theme.
Democrats are set to gather for their convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from July 25 through 28.
