CLEVELAND, Ohio — West Virginia could be in the national political spotlight at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio later this week when Donald Trump, the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee, is expected to officially secure the nomination.
“There will be nine states that are given the honor of being on national television to finish off the nomination of Mr. Trump and we could well be the state that puts him over the top,” said Mike Stuart, co-chairman of Trump’s West Virginia campaign.
It’s a rare opportunity.
“In our history, it’s happened one time. Arch Moore put Gerald Ford over the top in 1976,” Stuart said from Cleveland on Monday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
The chair of West Virginia’s GOP delegation at the Republican National Convention is John Raese, owner of West Virginia Radio Corporation, the parent company of MetroNews.
From behind the podium at Quicken Loans Arena, West Virginia’s delegation, with its 34 delegates, is to the right of the stage. The Mountain State is behind Connecticut and in front of Indiana, New Mexico and Oregon.
“We’re right on the floor, not only on the floor, we’re right in the front and, in fact, Indiana with the vice presidential pick of Mike Pence, governor from Indiana, they’re behind us,” Stuart said.
The floor placement, Stuart said, is an indication of West Virginia’s importance to Trump.
“If he happens to be the next president of the United States, which we believe he will be, I’m absolutely confident we’ll have a partner we can work with to help rebuild the economy of West Virginia,” Stuart said.
The daily themes and leading prime time speakers, according to the RNC, are as follows:
Monday: Make America Safe Again
Headliners: Melania Trump, Lieutenant General (ret.) Michael Flynn, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Jason Beardsley with Concerned Veterans for America and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.).
Tuesday: Make America Work Again
Headliners: Donald Trump, Jr., U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ben Carson, former Republican presidential candidate, and Kimberlin Brown, actress
Wednesday: Make America First Again
Headliners: Lynne Patton, vice president of the Eric Trump Foundation, Eric Trump, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his wife, Callista and Indiana Governor Mike Pence, Trump’s vice presidential candidate.
Thursday: Make America One Again
Headliners: Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist, Tom Barrack, CEO of Colony Capital, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump
The full schedule of RNC speakers is posted here.
The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 8.