Donald Trump and Joe Biden didn’t actually win Wisconsin’s nomination in the April 2 election. That process will occur during the party national conventions, when party loyalists known as delegates cast ballots of their own. Patty Reiman, a Whitefish Bay community volunteer, is attending her fifth Republican National Convention as a Wisconsin delegate.
MM: How did you become a delegate?
PR: You have to do a lot of work. I made a lot of phone calls [and at a GOP meeting in April], I made a flier and I gave a speech in front of over 150 people. It’s not easy, but I’m proud of what I do. There are delegate fees; you have to pay your own way, a couple thousand dollars. But it’s once every four years – a treat that I give myself for my many hours of volunteering.
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MM: Wisconsin GOP delegates are required to vote for Trump as the nominee. What else do delegates do at the convention?
PR: The main thing is really networking with all the other delegates from the other states and bringing back best practices for running our campaign offices.
MM: What issues will decide whether Trump or Biden wins Wisconsin?
PR: The economy; I mean, everyone feels it. Fill up your car with gas. Food is pricey. Housing, interest rates. Then you hear what’s going on with the borders – why can’t we control this better?
MM: Will the convention bring lasting benefits to Milwaukee?
PR: It’s going to be a major boost for southeastern Wisconsin’s economy short- and long-term. My goal is, meet these delegates, hope they have a great experience in Milwaukee and they go back to their hometowns and talk us up, how fabulous it is. So while I’m doing the business of the convention, I’m doing the business of my hometown, too.
