The Republican National Convention kicks off this week in Cleveland. While the party’s presumptive nominee for president has long been known and his vice president pick has been announced, there is still plenty of business the party will conduct over the next few days.
One Wisconsinite who will serve as a delegate to the convention this year is Bob Spindell. He's one of Milwaukee's Board of Election commissioners, and a longtime Republican who has been to many conventions as both a guest and a delegate. This will be his sixth year serving as a delegate, although he believes he's been to about a dozen conventions overall.
Amid widespread controversy, many have forecast a chaotic convention this week. But Spindell is unconcerned, and says that some amount of consternation can always be expected before the RNC. “Whenever there’s a controversy that gets to the convention, everybody says it’s going to be a terrible mess. I believe this one is going to work out just fine,” he says.
Although Spindell is a delegate for Texas Senator, and former candidate ,Ted Cruz, he supports the nomination of Donald Trump and believes other Republicans should rally around the candidate. “We have to look at what the objective is, and that’s to beat Hillary Clinton, to push Republican policies, and to make sure a Republican appoints Supreme Court justices,” he says.