Former President Donald trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center on Feb. 24, 2024, in National Harbor, Maryland. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Republicans from all 50 states will flock to Milwaukee next week for the party’s national convention. Among North Carolina’s delegation will be House Speaker Tim Moore, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop.
North Carolina’s 74 total delegates — which include elected officials and party organizers alike — will cast votes for their presidential nominee, officially placing former President Donald Trump at the top of the party ticket.
The convention is set to last from July 15-18, during which the party will hear from a bevy of speakers and finalize their policy platform. Democrats will hold their own convention in Chicago in August.
A new RNC with a North Carolina flavor
As Trump is cemented as the 2024 nominee, the Republican National Committee is now steered by his own handpicked candidates — both of which have ties to North Carolina.
Michael Whatley, former chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, was named chair of the RNC in March, succeeding Ronna McDaniel. And Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law and a North Carolina native, now serves as co-chair.
Not all of the state’s delegates have been publicly named ahead of the convention. The state party has published a list of 29 delegates, as well as 29 alternates in case delegates are unable to attend.
In total, names of 44 of the state’s delegates have been released, Raleigh’s News & Observer reported Thursday.
Trump secured 62 of North Carolina’s 74 delegates after winning almost 74% of the vote in the state’s primary earlier this year.
Former U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley won the remaining 12, but has urged her delegates to vote for Trump at the convention.
North Carolina’s delegation will be the sixth largest at the convention, behind Ohio, New York, Florida, Texas and California.
Who are the other delegates? Candidates, party organizers & more
Among those delegates are GOP candidates that will appear up and down the ballot this November.
Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor, will be in attendance. So will Moore, who is eyeing Congress as he runs in the 14th U.S. House District; and Bishop, who is running for state attorney general.
Several other congressional candidates are listed as alternates: Laurie Buckhout (1st District), Addison McDowell (6th District), Brad Knott (13th District) and Mark Harris (8th District).
North Carolina’s three members of the RNC will be delegates: Jason Simmons, Ed Broyhill and Kyshia Brassington.
Multiple state lawmakers will also cast their votes — such as Sens. David Craven and Brad Overcash.
Many delegates are longtime party loyalists, who have held prominent positions within the state GOP. That includes Susan Mills, the vice chair of the state party; and Kay Wildt, president of the North Carolina Federation of Republican Women.
Others have run for office previously, sat on county commissions, been closely involved in party fundraising and organizing, or held prominent advocacy roles.
New party platform touts MAGA, list of priorities
At the convention, Republicans will finalize a new party platform approved by a convention committee last week.
The new platform is dedicated “To the Forgotten Men and Women of America” and declares “Make America Great Again!”
It lists policy priorities, many of which focus on immigration, the economy, and a range of other social issues.
The platform calls for the “largest deportation program in American history” and a pledge that extreme vetting will be used to “keep foreign Christian-hating Communists, Marxists, and Socialists out of America.”
Notably, it makes just one explicit mention of abortion. Democrats have continued pushing abortion access as a top priority post-Roe, while Republicans for months stood divided on how to approach the issue.
Rather than urging specific restrictions or national action, the platform lays out a general viewpoint on the issue.
“We will oppose Late Term Abortion, while supporting mothers and policies that advance Prenatal Care, access to Birth Control, and IVF (fertility treatments),” the platform reads.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a national anti-abortion group, pointed to a reference to the 14th Amendment as protecting “unborn life” in a statement supporting the platform.
“Under this amendment, it is Congress that enacts and enforces its provisions,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the group. “The Republican Party remains strongly pro-life at the national level.”
Previously proposed GOP-led legislation would have extended 14th Amendment to be granted at “fertilization,” which abortion rights advocates have warned could endanger IVF clinics and procedures.
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