The 41st Republican National Convention came to order on Monday and representing the largest state in regards to area, the delegation from Alaska is situated in between New Hampshire and Nebraska on the convention floor.
After spending a week before the convention on the Rules Committee, Peggy Wilson, former Alaska House of Representatives member and a delegate from Alaska, is excited to show her support for Donald J. Trump, the official nominee for president representing the Republican Party after the state of New York officially put him over the delegate count for the nomination.
“I came to represent the constituents back home to carry their message and to vote the way they wanted me to and that is a sacred trust to me,” Wilson said. “It is the first opportunity I’ve ever had because I’ve always been running my own campaign and couldn’t come to any other conventions...I’m just excited about coming.”
Wilson believes that by attending the convention, she will be able to learn an abundant amount of information and hear each speaker first hand. She plans to pass that information on to her constituents back home to better inform them.
“[My constituents] will see things maybe in a different light than they have before and it will either solidify what they already feel or make them think a little bit differently on what they thought,” Wilson said.
“Getting the true message of what Trump is really like [is the largest
problem facing the Republican
Party,]” Wilson said. “People get hung up on things that really don’t make any difference when we are looking at someone whether they’re qualified to lead. Just because you don’t like the way they say something, doesn’t mean that they’re not qualified to lead our nation. I think we need to get that across.”
Wilson is accompanied by her husband, Woody Wilson..
The youngest elected official in Alaska, Trevor Shaw, 21, of Ketchikan is also the youngest delegate for
Alaska.
“I’m really interested in politics,” Shaw said. “Public service has been something very important to me for a long time. When I was 18, as a high school senior, I was elected to our local school board, becoming the
youngest elected official in the state at the time.”
Shaw is hopeful the party will unify and lay the groundwork to win the White House in November. He also enjoys being with many like minded citizens of the United States.
“I think my favorite part is everyone here fundamentally shares the same beliefs,” Shaw said. “Being able to talk with people from all walks of life who shares the same beliefs as you has been absolutely amazing.”
The Republican National Convention continues throughout the week with nightly sessions ending on Thursday when the final gavel will come down at approximately 11 p.m.
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