DES MOINES, Iowa – The Republican Party of Iowa announced on Thursday that the 2020 State Convention, scheduled for Saturday, June 13th, will not be convening in person due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the State Central Committee voted unanimously to mail paper ballots to all state convention delegates.
“The GOP State Convention would require over 1,500 Iowans from every county to convene at a central location in Polk County, and then return home to their respective counties. It’s simply not feasible to plan an event that large at this time. A mail-in ballot process will still allow us to conduct essential party business, including electing delegates to the national convention and approving the Iowa GOP platform,” said Aaron Britt, Spokesman for the Republican Party of Iowa.
The Iowa GOP said using paper ballots for the district convention process proved to be an overwhelming success. They report that over 80 percent of delegates participated in the mail-in process, which is higher participation than in-person district conventions.
During the mail-in district conventions, delegates voted for the state central committee, national delegates, national delegate alternates, and presidential electors. Below are the results from those votes by district (the winners are in bold):
District One
State Central Committee
- Jennifer Smith: 192
- Tim Busch: 174
- Edward Hayes: 170
- Chelle Adkins: 165
- Justin Wasson: 153
National Delegate
- Paul Pate: 182
- Tim Busch: 157
- Chelle Adkins: 152
- Paul Kurt: 99
- Kevin Curoe: 55
- Grant Gardner: 42
- Tina Hassel: 42
National Delegate Alternate:
- Maurice McWhirter: 160
- Diana Hansen: 155
- Ronald Herrig: 146
- Donna Robinson: 136
Presidential Elector:
- David Chung: 138
- Maurice McWhirter: 81
- Karl Schewe: 29
- Glenn Johnson: 15
District Two
State Central Committee
- David Barker
- Trudy Caviness
- Carol Crain
- Jarad Klein
National Delegate
- Jeanita McNulty: 213
- Trent Hobbs: 163
- Merle Miller: 135
- Anthony Marlowe: 131
- Joshua Poe: 50
National Delegate Alternate
- Carol Crain
- Karen Fesler
- Joe Mitchell
Presidential Elector:
- Thad Nearmyer: 139
- Edward Hee: 108
District Three
State Central Committee
- Paul Dykstra
- William Gustoff
- John Strathman
- Cheryl Wiesheit
National Delegate
- Paul Dykstra: 186
- Carmine Boal: 184
- Wes Enos: 180
National Delegate Alternate
- Kelly Koch: 158
- Tyler De Haan: 148
- Craig Robinson: 144
- Cole Kramersmeier: 125
- Margaret Stoldorf: 125
- Therese Davis: 82
- John Hannagan: 38
Presidential Elector
- Ronald Forsell: 121
- Cole Kramersmeier: 77
- Karen Lambert: 43
District Four
State Central Committee
- Andy Cable: 222
- Gary Nystrom: 195
- Barbara Hovland: 161
- Kevin Brown: 149
- Jesse Wolfe: 130
- BJ Hoffman: 122
- Larry Sailer: 115
- Barry Snell: 88
- Patrick Anderson: 87
National Delegate:
- Andy Cable: 171
- Don Kass: 144
- Tim Kraayenbrink: 115
- Kay Rice: 113
- Brett Barker: 107
- Laura Carlson: 100
- Barbara Hovland: 94
- Patrick Anderson: 69
- Teresa Paulsrud: 69
National Delegate Alternate:
- Kay Rice: 178
- Brett Barker: 166
- Kathy Nystrom: 146
- Laura Carlson: 137
- Patrick Anderson: 97
Presidential Elector:
- Kolby DeWitt: 251
- Polly Granzow: 55
- Charles Peterson: 29
- Cecil Blum Jr.: 17
- Ricks Polk: 10