GOP State Committee Defeats Proposed Rules Change
24 RNC delegates elected
Little Rock’s Doubletree Hotel hosted around 300 State Committee members of the Republican Party of Arkansas who met Saturday, May 18 and, among other business, defeated a proposed rules change widely panned as a power grab against the grassroots base of the Party.
State Committee members elected RNC delegates and alternates, considered that proposed state Party Rules change, and elected our national Committeewoman and Committeeman at the secret meeting closed to other Republican party members.
National Committeewoman / Committeeman
State Rep. Mindy McAlindon of Washington County was elected as Arkansas’ National Committeewoman. A runoff saw Eddie Arnold (4th District Chair) defeat former RPA Chair Doyle Webb for National Committeeman.
Arnold, McAlindon, and RPA Chair Joseph Wood will represent Arkansas on the Republican National Committee for the next two years. (Each state’s Chairman, National Committeeman, and National Committeewoman are automatic members of the 168-membr Republican National Committee.)
After she addressed the group, Justice Rhonda Wood received an endorsement in her nonpartisan race for Arkansas Supreme Court Justice via a motion by state Senator Mark Johnson and vote of the delegates.
RNC Delegates
Arkansas delegates are pledged to support former President Donald J. Trump, with one exception: delegate Nate Todd (former for Veterans Affairs) will cast his vote for former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
Last week, the state’s Congressional Districts held conventions where each District elected three RNC delegates and three alternates to represent the grassroots members of our County Committees.
At Saturday’s Summer Meeting the State Committee elected these 24 RNC delegates (who were ignored by the Congressional Districts):
**Josh Bryant
**Tim Griffin
**Sarah Sanders
**Mark Johnson
**Susan Gessler
**Leslie Rutledge
**Tom Lundstrum
**Jamie Sims
**Lisenne Rockefeller
**Doyle Webb
**Will Rockefeller
**Jim Dotson
**Jonelle Fulmer
**Sharon Lloyd
**Len Blaylock
**Julie Harris
**June Wood
**Robin Lundstrum
**Brian Sanders
**Justin Boyd
**John Nabholz
**Jack Ladyman
Diana Harton
Donnie Scroggins
(Who are these delegates? What do the asterisks mean?)
These official RNC delegates (plus alternates) and our National Committeewoman/man will attend this summer’s Republican National Committee presidential nominating Convention in Milwaukee to represent Arkansas.
State Party Rules Changes
On a secret paper ballot, members voted against the proposed “2/3rds approval” Rules change that was heavily opposed by Congressional Districts as well as various County Committees by formal Resolution.
Pulaski County’s current State Committeewoman, June Matheny,* had originally submitted two Rules changes aimed at removing power from the County Committees. The state Rules Committee approved both for consideration.
In addition to the defeated proposal that would have mandated a 2/3rds approval at State Conventions for any Rules or platform changes, Matheny had also originally proposed that County Committees be restricted in applying the “non-recommended” designation to only candidates who file for office with the County Committee. Matheny pulled this proposal before the May 18 Summer Meeting.
Saturday’s robust discussion “for” and “against” the 2/3rds Rules change was cut off by a premature call for the vote motion, leaving several delegates who had lined up to speak against the Rules changes unable to be heard:
Video: TheRightAngle/Rumble
*Matheny was replaced by Pulaski County’s newly elected State Committeewoman, Erika Eisenring, who will be ratified at the June 8 State Convention.