Licking County had a few delegates at last week's RNC. Here’s what they experienced

Two Licking County Republican Party members served as delegates at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last week and witnessed Ohio Sen. JD Vance accept the party’s vice-presidential nomination.

Former President Donald Trump, who accepted the GOP’s presidential nomination on Thursday, announced early last week that Vance was his VP pick. The selection sparked intense praise and criticism from both major parties, though there was much more of the former at the four-day convention, Licking County GOP Vice Chair Leonard Hubert said.

Hubert attended the RNC with Rozland McKee, a local executive committee member and an Etna Township trustee . They represented Ohio after being selected as two of three delegates from the state’s 12th Congressional District.

“Everybody wants to talk to us,” Hubert told The Advocate, “and everybody (is asking), ‘Tell us more about Senator Vance.”

JD Vance’s nomination propels Ohio into the national spotlight

Vance’s ties to Ohio date back to his childhood, part of which he documented in his 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy.” He was born in Middletown and grew up around there. He later graduated from Ohio State University before voter elected him to the U.S. Senate in 2022.

If elected alongside Trump, Vance would become the first Ohio resident to become vice president of the United States.

Furthermore, he’s the first Ohioan on a major party ticket in 80 years.

The convention’s historic undertones had one party delegate from Georgia asking if she could have Hubert’s Ohio lapel pin that he wore at the convention, he said.

“I thought it said a whole lot,” Hubert said of the request, which he granted. “She said she was very pleased when Trump announced he had chosen Senator Vance as the VP nominee and said that the lapel pin would remind her of (when Trump picked him).”

What Licking County delegates thought of JD Vance’s speech

During his acceptance speech on Wednesday, Vance spoke about his childhood while praising Trump and blue-collar workers in swing states, among a few other topics.

Hubert, who was on the convention floor while Vance delivered his address, described the vice-presidential nominee as a “very authentic man” whose message should resonate with communities in Ohio and surrounding states.

He compared the energy in the room during the speech to the spirited atmosphere thousands of fans experience inside Ohio Stadium, the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team. Republicans in several states since Trump’s announcement have shared enthusiastic reactions to Vance's selection.

“A couple things (Vance) said that I thought were important were that if he were elected vice president, it didn’t make any difference what someone’s background, race or political party affiliation was,” Hubert said. “He planned to work in the best interest for the people of the United States, and I believe what he said because we’ve seen that in him since he’s been elected U.S. senator.”

McKee also said she witnessed Vance’s speech alongside other Ohio delegates and was floored by the response he received.

“Here in our Ohio delegate scene, where we were all sitting together, it was so powerful,” McKee said. “The people, not just from Ohio, but around us as we walked through the floor, seeing us be from Ohio — the respect that we got from the other states because JD Vance is our pick. Just to feel that was spectacular.”

Hubert, McKee recount notable moments as RNC delegates

Hubert and McKee had little down time as delegates. They were tasked with attending scheduled events, meeting other delegates and lending support to other Ohio Republican candidates, such as Bernie Moreno, who is challenging Ohio's other U.S. senator, Sherrod Brown, this fall.

“It’s a very, very busy week when you’re there,” McKee said. “You’re on strict time, and there are places you have to be. You have to be on the floors because we’re there to vote.”

But Hubert did get a chance to meet some notable elected officials, including Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who took the stage on the second night of the convention. He also spoke with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Both said some of the most memorable moments for them at the convention were Trump’s appearances, the first of which came on the convention’s first day. Hubert said it was emotional seeing Trump just days after his attempted assassination, echoing sentiments delegates from different states shared during the event.

“He began to speak about how God spared him, and I couldn’t come up with the words about how I felt,” McKee said of Trump's speech on Thursday. “It was an experience that was so powerful.”

Advocate reporter Josué Perez can be reached at jhperez@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Licking County had a few delegates at last week's RNC. Here’s what they experienced