The San Juan Island County Republican Party hosted it’s county caucus on Saturday, March 12 at Friday Harbor Middle School. Approximately 75 county residents were in attendance to help craft their platform, elect state convention delegates and alternates and listen to Keynote Speaker Fredi Simpson, Washington State Republican Party National Committee woman.
The Washington State Republican Central Committee decided to use Precinct Caucuses to determine which delegates will move forward to county conventions, the state convention and then on to the national convention. At each step delegates will be chosen by their peers to move forward to the next convention.
“We’re pretty happy that the party has chosen to do things this way,” said San Juan County Republican Party Chairman Levi Rawls. “It gives the general population more of a voice, even though it is a little more complicated.”
The 40 eligible delegates (who were elected at the precinct level caucus) from San Juan County voted amongst themselves to send San Juan islanders Mike Gallagher, Frank Penwell and Attilo Galli along with Isaiah Rawls from Shaw island to the State Convention May 19–21 in Pasco. Also allowed to attend the state convention are Chairman Levi Rawls, State Committee man Judah Finney and State Committee woman Michelle Loftus.
The alternate delegates chosen were Pat Penwell and Heather Christensen from San Juan island, Jack Rawls from Shaw and Lynda Gerpheide from Lopez.
The state convention is generally a larger version of the county convention: delegates will help craft their party’s platform as well as choose the 41 who will represent Washington state at the Republican National Convention in July in Cleveland, Ohio.
Committee woman Michelle Loftus of San Juan Island hopes to attend the July convention. “It should be an exciting national convention.” said Loftus.
The delegates chosen from the state convention will be bound to vote on the republican presidential candidate in accordance with the results of the Washington State primary election held on May 24.
“We’re really pleased with the air of civility that permeated this event,” said Rawls. “Everyone was very respectful and civil which is not always the case with politics. I’m very pleased with how it turned out.”
