MILWAUKEE — The Republican presidential primary debate in Milwaukee this week is the start of a long road leading up to next summer’s nominating convention, which will also be held in Wisconsin.
A big part of the convention process is the delegates themselves — the people who cast the vote for each party’s presidential nominee based on how the people they represent voted in the primary election.
Wisconsin will have 41 delegates when the Republican National Convention comes to Milwaukee next summer; 24 represent specific districts and the remaining 17 represent the whole state.
Though primary season will ramp up with Wednesday’s debate in Milwaukee, delegates in the Badger State won’t be selected until closer to the convention next summer.
“The road to the White House starts here in my hometown, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, [where] everything is going to happen,” Patty Reiman, a four-time delegate from Wisconsin, said. “Once this debate starts, we are going to be hitting the ground running.”
Reiman, who is no stranger to politics, said she hopes to be elected to serve as a delegate a fifth time during the upcoming election cycle.
However, until then, Reiman said she is focused on what the candidates have to say.
“The members that live in the North Shore community, Milwaukee County, how they vote is how we will then end up voting for the next president,” Reiman explained. “But this presidential candidate has to really prove to them how we vote and why we should vote for them.”
With a crowded field of candidates taking the stage in Milwaukee for the first Republican primary debate, party leaders are excited to kick off the process in the place it will wrap up.
“Wisconsin is going to be the story,” Tom Schreibel, who leads the Wisconsin Republican Party at the national level, said. “Why is Wisconsin the story? You look at Wisconsin’s economy — very diverse. From manufacturing, blue collar, to high-tech, medical, we have it all here right here in Wisconsin.”
Schreibel was elected as an RNC National Committeeman in 2018 and has served as a delegate several times.
“Whether you’re a delegate to the national convention or not, be involved in your community. Being involved in politics, your ideas can make a difference, whether you’re Republican or Democrat,” Schreibel added.
Those are the kind of ideas that Reiman said she hopes to gather at next summer’s convention and bring back to her district.
“This will put Milwaukee on the map and we have a lot of people that love to get involved politically, and this is ground zero for the political process, and I’m so thrilled to be part of it,” Reiman said.
The delegate process begins around the first of the year when those who want to serve turn in their applications. After that, it becomes a waiting game as selection happens after the presidential primary election.