Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann, AG Brenna Bird give nominating speeches at RNC

The view from the Iowa delegation seats at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Iowa Republicans played important roles during the first day of the Republican National Convention Monday.

Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann kicked off the process of nominating former President Donald Trump as the official 2024 Republican presidential candidate. Later, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird presided over the nomination of U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance as Trump’s running mate .

In his nominating speech, Kaufmann said Trump’s road to becoming the GOP presidential candidate in 2024 began at the Iowa caucuses, the first-in-the-nation contest for the Republican presidential nominating process. Trump won a historic 51% in the 2024 Republican caucuses , more than 30 points ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in second place at 21.2% and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in third at 19.1%.

Iowa Republicans “overwhelmingly” supported Trump in the caucuses, Kaufmann told the crowd in Milwaukee, after which “the vast majority of Republicans in primaries and caucuses across the nation seconded Iowa’s good judgment in a nominee.”

Though Trump announced his presidential campaign early, in November 2022 , he faced multiple challenges from GOP rivals, including DeSantis, Haley and other candidates including his former running mate Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott. Other Republican presidential hopefuls questioned whether Trump could win again after losing to President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee in 2024, after losing the 2020 presidential election.

However, Trump easily secured his spot as the Republican presidential nominee in states’ 2024 caucus and primary contests.

Kaufmann said Republicans’ decision to back Trump for the nomination comes as Trump has “earned the trust of the people.” He also said speakers at the RNC will highlight the “many failures of the Biden-Harris administration” as the country prepares for the Nov. 5 general election.

“The sustained criticism does not proceed from a mean or narrow partisanship, but from the broad and sincere concern for the well-being and safety of our fellow Americans,” Kaufmann said. “It’s part of our service to our country. More importantly, we will also hear about Donald Trump’s broad and inspiring vision for our country. This is not a program just for Republicans, but one for all Americans. It reflects the value of America, it’s a program that acknowledges that our nation has seen better days, and we can and we will blaze a brighter future.”

Trump will be formally nominated to become the 2024 Republican presidential nominee Thursday night, the final day of the RNC. In the days proceeding, multiple speeches and side events hosted by state Republican parties and conservative organizations are planned surrounding the event for politicians, delegates and attendees.

While the convention is proceeding as planned, there is heightened concern about security and potential violence after Trump was shot Saturday at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in what law enforcement officials say was an assassination attempt. The man identified as the shooter , Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed at the scene.

At the Milwaukee event, there are multiple security measures in place, including the U.S. Secret Service having at least two security perimeters around the Fiserv Forum as well as federal, state and local law enforcement officers on duty.

In addition to Trump’s nominating process, the former president announced Monday that Vance, Ohio’s junior senator , will serve as his vice presidential candidate. Bird, who was elected as a temporary chair for the RNC, conducted the vice presidential nomination process of Vance at the event. Following the roll call vote for Trump, Vance was nominated by voice vote.

Bird is also scheduled to deliver a speech at the convention Tuesday night.

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