19-year-old gives youthful energy to Nevada’s contingent of convention delegates

CLEVELAND — One of Nevada’s 30 delegates to the Republican National Convention wasn’t old enough to vote two years ago.

Ryder Haag, a 19-year-old from Reno, is the youngest delegate from Nevada at the convention. Utah and Montana also have 19-year-old delegates in attendance.

Haag’s attendence at the national convention reflects a busy life filled with political activities: knocking on doors, contacting voters and encouraging Reno-area people to participate in politics.

Haag caught the politics bug when taking a government class in high school. He’s hooked.

“I found out that I absolutely loved it,” he said.

Haag wasn’t just looking for a trip to Cleveland. He’s aiming for a career in public service. The University of Nevada, Reno political science major says he plans to eventually run for local office. (He hasn’t decided which office to seek yet.)

“It’s one of my favorite things to do,” Haag said of political acivities. “It’s inspiring. It shows that there’s youth in politics.”

Aside from his youthful visage, Haag blends in well with his fellow national convention delegates, visiting and cheering with his elders.

Reaching the convention wasn’t simple. Haag had to go through the same process as older delegates but without their advantages. He hasn’t had the years they’ve had to forge political alliances and get the support needed to advance through the delegate selection process.

Delegates advance from the precinct level to the county level. If selected at their county conventions, they can go to the state convention, where the final slate of 30 delegates was picked for the national convention.

Haag said the state level was the most competitive. He obtained endorsements from local Republican groups and worked to introduce himself. He competed against hundreds of others for his slot in Cleveland.

He calls attending the national convention a privilege, an “amazing opportunity.”

He’s already learning to give sound-bite-sized answers — just like politicians.

Of Trump, Haag said, “I think he’s fantastic.”

Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com. Find @BenBotkin1 on Twitter.