A First Hand Account of the 2024 Republican National Convention:
L-R: PA State Treasurer Stacy Garrity;
2024 RNC Delegate Darlene Smail; & U.S. Congressman G.T. Thompson
The journey to the 2024 Republican National Convention began in February with delegate candidates getting 250 Republican voter signatures to get onto the primary ballot. Once the dust settled, there were eight names on the ballot vying to fill the top three spots in the 15th Congressional District, which encompasses an area covering a third of the land mass of Pennsylvania. When the votes were counted on the evening of April 23rd, Darlene Smail had garnered the second highest vote totals in the District, naming her one of three Delegates from Congressional District 15.
Fast forward to mid-July, Darlene and her husband, Brad, loaded their truck and headed West for a front row seat to history in the making at the 2024 Republican National Convention. Republicans from around the country converged on Milwaukee, Wisconsin, over the weekend, kicking off the festivities on Sunday with a Trace Adkins concert at the Henry Maier Festival Park. There, Darlene met fellow Delegates, Alternate Delegates and their guests. A common refrain after looking at the jam-packed schedule was “you can sleep on Friday”, alluding to after the Convention concludes.
Each State Delegation was assigned a separate hotel. The hotel for the Pennsylvania Delegation was about a 30 minute bus ride to the Fiserv Arena in Milwaukee. Other delegations were not so fortunate, some being an hour away from Milwaukee.
Each morning, the PA Delegation was given the opportunity to attend a prayer circle before the breakfast meeting, which hosted a special guest daily. Some of the guests were Lara Trump, Eric Trump, Liz Truss (former U.K. Prime Minister) and Dr. Ben Carson. Eric Trump spoke about his family’s connections to Pennsylvania. Everyone has attended college or lived in PA at some point in their lives. Liz Truss spoke about President Trump’s courage and leadership after the assassination attempt. Dr. Ben Carson talked of his upbringing in a poor, single-parent household. He closed by saying “we are the land of the FREE because of the home of the BRAVE.”
The 2024 RNC was different than previous years in that there were over 100 speakers scheduled throughout the four days. Not only were state and federal officials and celebrities featured, but there were also numerous everyday people who shared their experiences. A mother shared how her son was killed by fentanyl. A rancher shared how his life was affected by the constant stream of illegal border crossers passing through his land. Gold star families shared their grief about their family members’ tragic deaths at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan. A video tribute with military veterans included local Armstrong County veterans Jorn Jensen, Anthony Shea and Delegate Darlene Smail. However, President Trump stole the show each day when he broke with tradition and appeared at the RNC daily. Each time, the Fiserv Arena erupted with thunderous cheers and whistles.
The final day of the RNC culminated with President Trump’s nomination acceptance speech. Attendees hung on every word as he recounted the events of the assassination attempt on Saturday, July 13. Some were even brought to tears. The crowd was solemn as President Trump spoke about those who were injured and died as a result of the assassination attempt. He then went on to lay out his plan to make America safe and prosperous again by closing the border and putting America first.
Throughout the week, volunteers with red shirts happily offered their assistance to attendees in whatever manner needed. They took pictures, gave directions, held doors open and offered suggestions, always in a very pleasant and welcoming manner. Police from all over the country also assisted to make the RNC safe for everyone. This help from locals and those from across the country ensured that the attendees would have an enjoyable, safe and memorable experience.
On Friday, many RNC attendees started their journey home. However, some travel plans were interrupted due to the issues with the Crowdstrike update causing inference with airline travel. Since Darlene and her husband had driven to Milwaukee, they were able to assist two Allegheny County, PA, Alternate Delegates, Mary Jo Costello and Christine Mattarochia, by bringing them back to Pennsylvania with them. Along the way home, the group from PA ran into several other RNC attendees driving home, one of which had also picked up an additional displaced traveler.
Darlene Smail also serves as the Armstrong County Republican Committee (ACRC) Chair. She plans to provide a full accounting of the Republican National Convention at the next ACRC meeting, which will be held on Thursday, August 1, at 7 p.m. at the Belmont Complex in West Kittanning. For any questions or additional information, contact Darlene Smail, (724) 902-2244 or dsmail2244@windstream.net.
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