GOP sets date to complete state convention in Reno

The Nevada Republican Party on Wednesday set July 26 as the date for delegates to meet in Reno and complete the state convention that fell apart in April.

The party's executive committee approved the date in a Wednesday evening teleconference. The re-convention, like the original convention effort, is to be held at the Peppermill Hotel Casino.

The original convention, on April 26, was called off when national convention delegates couldn't be elected in the time allotted. Party leaders blamed a rule change pushed by supporters of presidential candidate Ron Paul, who represented a large proportion of the more than 1,300 convention delegates.

The state convention elects 31 members of Nevada's delegation to the Republican National Convention, scheduled to be held in St. Paul, Minn., in early September.

"We are excited about completing business and moving on towards our end goal of electing Republicans in November," Sue Lowden, chairwoman of the Nevada Republican Party, said in a statement. She said all the delegates from the original convention would be notified by mail of the date.

Paul supporters had been trying to jump-start the convention conclusion by offering to pick up the tab for a venue. Sparks dentist Wayne Terhune twice proposed dates in June and called on convention delegates to show up at the Grand Sierra Resort and finish the convention.

Last week, Terhune announced that a convention would be June 28 and said he believed enough delegates would come to create a quorum and elect national delegates.

Terhune said he was disappointed by the party's new convention date, which doesn't leave much time before the deadline of 30 days before the national convention to get the delegation selected. "If anything goes amiss, I'm concerned Nevada would not have a delegation properly elected," he said. It also wouldn't leave national delegates much time to book flights and hotel rooms to St. Paul, he noted.

Terhune said the attempt to hold a wildcat convention on the 28th would go forward.

"From a delegate standpoint, our solution is better, so we plan to go ahead," he said. "We feel optimistic about our chances to get a quorum and call the convention out of recess."

Terhune and others, frustrated with weeks of waiting for an announcement, accused the party of dragging its feet. But Zac Moyle, the executive director, said the party was simply proceeding in a deliberate manner.

"We're trying to pick a day that maximizes turnout," he said.

Moyle said party bylaws won't allow a rump convention such as that being planned by the Paul faction. If it convenes and elects national delegates, they won't be recognized, he said.

The Republican National Committee has been following the process and working with the state party to ensure that Nevada does send a delegation to the national convention, at which John McCain will be officially crowned the party's presidential nominee. McCain came in third in Nevada's Jan. 19 presidential caucuses, while Paul was second.

An RNC official indicated that the state party would have authority over the delegation.

"The RNC will recognize the official slate of national convention delegates as submitted by each state party," the official said.