State Sen. Rick Brattin, standing, chats with Tom Mendenhall while campaigning for the 4th District Republican congressional nomination in April at Boone County Lincoln Days in Columbia (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent).
Tom Mendenhall of Columbia was just about packed and ready to drive to Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention when he got word not to bother.
Mendenall, who has attended seven previous conventions, was told that the convention’s Credentials Committee had voted unanimously to reinstate the delegation selected at the May 4 state convention in Springfield.
Mendenhall was on the replacement slate selected July 3 by the state party’s executive committee when a challenge displaced the “Truly Grassroots for Trump” slate. He’s not certain about what will happen with his hotel room reservation – only delegates and people with official passes can stay close to the convention hall – and he’s not happy with the conflict over the delegation.
“If there was ever a time for unity and getting people together, it’s now, but, but that episode down there in Springfield was pretty bad,” Mendenhall said.
Missouri presidential delegates rejected by Republican National Convention committee
The confrontation that has played out over the past two weeks between party regulars and insurgents who took over the convention will likely leave no one satisfied. The 54-member at-large delegation — 27 delegates and 27 alternates — has been discarded, replaced and reinstated all within that time.
It began with a challenge from two candidates for delegate who claimed that the actions of the chaotic gathering should be discarded because the results could not be trusted.
The contests committee of the Republican National Committee agreed, and ordered the state party to select replacements after it found “alarming irregularities” in the credentialing of delegates to the state convention.
That meant a slate that included gubernatorial candidates state Sen. Bill Eigel and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft among its membership could not attend the convention except as guests.
The contests committee turned down a request for a rehearing on Monday but the convention’s Credentials Committee voted unanimously Friday morning to reverse its decision.
That means a delegation that included former U.S. Rep. Billy Long; state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, a candidate for secretary of state; and Susan Klein, executive director of Missouri Right to Life, now cannot attend.
The replacement slate did include five members of the Truly Grassroots for Trump slate, but they were not informed they would be included and three of them told The Independent they would only attend as part of the original slate.
State party leaders did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
To convince the credentials committee the delegation should be reinstated, member Coby Cullins amassed affidavits from state convention delegates, obtained a video recording of the 12-hour meeting and argued that the party apparatus led by chairman Nick Myers is being rewarded for a problem it created.
“This group of individuals are directly and/or indirectly responsible for the credentialing debacle that has led to the vacating of the at-large delegate and alternate delegate positions,” Cullins wrote in his unsuccessful appeal to the contests committee.
Cullins could not be reached immediately Friday for comment.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
The post GOP credentials committee reinstates Missouri convention delegation at center of dispute appeared first on Missouri Independent.