SACRAMENTO — For a long time, alterations specialist Josephine Kawanami was a Democrat in Santa Clara County.

Now, as a Republican and new member of the Republican Central Committee in the county, she said she made a concerted effort to attend the state GOP convention.

"I'm very new in politics," Kawanami said. "I don't know. What are the issues? You know, deciding on which issues and electing delegates."

The convention is a chance for conservatives to galvanize messages and touch on key races the party is looking to either hold or turn while boosting morale among Republicans in a state where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans two-to-one.

Something Kawanami said is a big part of her decision to get involved.

"It's an uphill battle and we're fighting," she said. "That's why I got into the fight to fight for more conservatives."

The big draw for the second day of the three-day event was keynote speaker South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.

The governor is seen as a controversial choice, given recent headlines highlighting a part of her new book describing her choice to shoot and kill her dog, which she said was untrainable.

A topic she lightly touched on.

"I have a book that has come out," Governor Noem said. "You maybe have heard a little bit about it. I guarantee you, if you've listened to the media, you haven't heard the truth, so I would recommend you read it."

The issue political observers believe means she is no longer being considered as former President Trump's running mate.

Steve Garvey's absence, especially given the convention's baseball emblem, was another talking point for those attending.

Garvey said he wanted to maintain his independence, preferring not to attend.

Something Kawanami said gives her more reason to question his candidacy.

"I like that he's conservative, but I'm not sure if he's the best candidate because it really depends on where his heart is," Kawanami said. "Is it really for bettering our state, bettering our citizens, or is it for his own gain?"

But that's not an issue for other attendees like former Trump Administration Deputy Assistant Jenny Korn, along with Garvey's decision to skip the convention.

"You've got a group here that supports him already," Korn said. "So, he needs to make sure that he's reaching out to voters throughout the state."

Korn also noting Garvey's importance to the party nationally and while, even though California is a blue state, it has an important role to play in multiple ways in the upcoming November election.

"Especially when we're talking about the [U.S.] house," Korn said. "You know, the house is very close. The majority on the Republican side is very close. And in the last election cycle, it was California that put us over the top to have a Republican speaker."

An important role Kawanami said she feels she's already aiding.

"I have friends that when I got elected, they said they wanted to be where I'm going. You know, they want to be in the same meetings," Kawanami said. "And they want to know what's going on and they want to be involved."

A start she said she hopes to build on with renewed focus from the convention.