Nevada’s Republican Party is waiving its bylaws so party faithful can support former President Donald Trump, now a convicted felon, in his reelection bid.
Article 16 of the Nevada GOP’s bylaws states that it “shall neither recognize nor support any candidate for public office who has been convicted of a felony or, while serving in a public office, was impeached and convicted or removed from office for any reason.”
Michael McDonald, the chairman of the Nevada Republican Party, confirmed the announcement. In a text message, McDonald wrote that Nevada’s GOP would rally behind Trump as Republicans’ presumptive nominee, saying the GOP board had met to make the exception to its bylaws.
After Trump’s unprecedented hush money conviction on May 31, McDonald said, “The NVGOP reiterates our full support and endorsement for Donald J Trump to replace Joe Biden as the 47th President of the United States.”
The waiver has yet to be ratified with a two-thirds majority vote of members and delegates present at Nevada’s GOP convention or through the Nevada Republican Central Committee.
McDonald is a Trump loyalist, rallying behind the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee during his Las Vegas rally in January. “When I talked to the president, I said, ‘I guarantee you Nevada will show up,” McDonald said as he introduced Trump. “We will deliver you 100% of delegates for the state of Nevada.”
Critics slammed McDonald’s decision to only award delegates through Nevada’s Republican caucus, a move that eliminated virtually all competition from the race and resulted in a sweeping Trump win. McDonald claimed Nevada’s dirth of voter ID laws motivated the caucus. “If we had voter ID, there wouldn’t be a need for a caucus,” the chairman said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Top pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. has confirmed it will target Nevada and other swing states with over $100 million in targeted advertising this election cycle.
The latest polling shows Trump leading President Joe Biden by 5% in Nevada. In 2020, Biden only won Nevada by a razor-thin margin, taking the Silver State 50.1% to Trump’s 47.7%.