The GOP Convention Report
By Larry Meyers, National Delegate from Utah

Headed for Cleveland and the GOP Convention. Say a prayer for us delegates, we need it!

Thousands of Republican delegates poured into Cleveland, Ohio, on Sunday to attend the GOP National Convention, which begins with business and speeches on Monday afternoon. As a delegate from Utah, I will join my fellow Republicans in selecting our nominee, approving a new platform, and presenting our case to the American public on national television.

The highlight of my first day in Cleveland was a premier screening of Dinesh DeSouza’s new documentary, “Hillary’s America,” which exposes the sordid history of the Democratic Party, which supported Indian removal, slavery, and the Klu Klux Klan. The movie shows how nothing has changed, as Hillary Clinton and the Democrats continue to run a con game on the American people to gain wealth and power.

At the pre-convention events, security was the top priority. I had to pass through two security check points, including a metal detector manned by Secret Service agents, in order to attend the welcome event. Police are everywhere in downtown Cleveland and will be on hand in force to protect delegates and protesters alike. For security purposes, the delegates are bussed from our hotels into the convention arena “green zone” before each session.

This is the official Utah delegate bus to the convention. They put the Utah delegation in Akron, about 30 minutes outside Cleveland, so we have a long ride in and back.

Having worked as a Ted Cruz campaign volunteer, I was part of the official Cruz slate that dominated the national delegate elections at the Utah GOP Convention in April. With only a couple of exceptions, the Utah national delegates were pledged to Ted Cruz, who won the Utah presidential caucus. Our excitement was short-lived, as Donald Trump continued to win other states’ primaries and Cruz suspended his campaign several weeks after the Utah delegates were selected.

With Cruz out of the running, our Utah GOP rules require Utah’s delegates to vote for the next highest Utah vote-getter who is still in the race—Donald Trump. This did not sit well with many of the Cruz delegates, and some began to organize an effort to “free the delegates” to “vote their conscience” for someone other than Trump in Cleveland.

The Free The Delegates movement lost badly in the pre-convention Rules Committee meetings. Trump delegates and Republican National Committee operatives joined forces to vote down rules proposed by the FTD committee members and negotiations between the two sides regarding rule changes from 2020 broke down at the last minute. A last-ditch effort is underway to get enough

Waiting in line for the welcome event. Massive security here and all over downtown Cleveland.

delegate signatures on a “Rule 38 Petition” to allow a vote on the “conscience rule.” I signed the Petition, but it appears to be an uphill battle for conservatives hoping for a Cruz campaign revival.

The news was much better for conservatives on the Platform. The Trump campaign supported the Platform Committee delegates in drafting what is reported to be the best Republican Platform yet. I am looking forward to seeing and supporting the improved GOP Platform and will provide details as soon as it is released.

Look what they put in my delegate bag!