Roosevelt County Republicans chair attends RNC

Tina Dziuk, chairwoman of the Roosevelt County Republicans, said the Republican National Convention is off to an energized start. She is attending the RNC in Charlotte, North Carolina, as a national delegate and was in attendance during the roll call to re-nominate President Trump.

“The roll call was great! Everyone was enthusiastic and energized to nominate President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for their second term,” she said in a telephone interview on Monday. “Seeing the president and vice president was an unexpected surprise. We did not know they were coming to Charlotte until the night before.”

New Mexico Republican Party Chair Steve Pearce delivered the state's 22 votes during the opening roll call of the convention on Monday. The former congressman said his party is voting for the renewal of the country by backing President Trump.

“We saw him begin to rebuild this country, and then we saw that rebuilding interrupted by the COVID-19. So now we have a choice, a choice to continue the rebuilding, the revival, the renew-ing, of this great land,” said Pearce. “New Mexico is proud to vote for that renewal.”

Dziuk added that while the party had already established its platform in support of Trump, the other purposes of the convention included training for delegates and updates of the party during the convention.

With the Democratic National Convention being held a week prior to the Republican's, a stark contrast can be seen in the two parties' decisions on how to hold their meeting. The DNC opted for a fully virtual convention in recognition of the risks inherent to large group gatherings during a pandemic.

The RNC went ahead with its in-person plan while adhering to health and safety guidelines is-sued by the state of North Carolina.

Dziuk said there were many precautions taken to hinder the potential spread of the virus. Only six delegates were allowed to attend per state. Daily online health screenings began two weeks before the convention and were required through their time there. A negative COVID test was required before arriving at the convention, and a second test was done upon arrival. Tempera-tures are checked daily, masks are mandatory in public spaces, and each person in attendance wears a contact tracing device.

“Threats of the virus were taken seriously and masks were only removed while eating/drinking, or taking the occasional photo. I could not be more pleased with the way the convention was organized and conducted,” she said.

The Republican convention is scheduled to continue through Thursday.

Another Roosevelt County resident was chosen to represent New Mexico at a party's conven-tion. Had the DNC been held in-person, Tate Turnbough of Roosevelt County would have been part of the Democratic Party of New Mexico's delegates.