After a rocky start to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Kentucky delegates say they’re happy to see the process move toward the official nomination of Donald Trump Tuesday.
While day one ended with Melania Trump and accusations of plagiarism grabbing the headlines, it was 20-year-old Kentucky singer Marlana VanHoose who silenced the crowd at the Quicken Loans Arena with her rendition of the national anthem.
Kentucky Republicans want that moment of unity to last.
A chaotic floor scene had erupted Monday as anti-Trump delegations tried and failed to force a roll-call vote on the rules. State delegate Linda Huber tells WDRB-TV she was glad to see the intra-party rebellion put down.
"We have a system in this country where people go vote and we have a system where you get delegates. he clearly won the vote and therefore he's entitled to his delegates," she says. "I just think it's as clear as that."
The party is expected to formally nominate Donald Trump for president Tuesday and Kentucky's delegation says it’s time for the party to come together and unify against presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in November.
Also eager to shift the focus to the opposition is Senator Mitch McConnell.
Despite the tumultuous opening hours of the convention, the majority leader says Trump’s choice of running mate has party leaders breathing a sigh of relief. He tells cn|2 Indiana Gov. Mike Pence brings much-needed balance to the ticket.
"He provides experience, which Trump does not have. So I think it's good to compensate for Trump's lack of experience with somebody who actually has been in the government at two different levels, both in congress and having a successful governorship in Indiana for four years after that. So it complements the ticket nicely," he says.
McConnell has offered numerous pointers for the unconventional candidate in recent interviews, going so far as to tell Bloomberg Politics in June that Trump “doesn’t know a lot about the issues.”
The GOP heavyweight tells cn|2 that, whatever his faults, Trump represents a break from the past. He says his remarks tonight will focus both on Trump and Clinton.
