MILWAUKEE — It’s been a whirlwind week for local resident A.J. Daoud as a delegate to the Republican National Convention, which has included rubbing elbows with what arguably is a who’s who list of top party notables.
Daoud, the owner of Cox-Needham Funeral Home in Pilot Mountain and a longtime GOP insider, not only has frequented the convention hall while former President Donald Trump and vice president pick JD Vance were present; he has been right in the thick of other events this week as part of the North Carolina delegation to the Republican National Convention.
This has meant attending various gatherings, including North Carolina delegation breakfast meetings featuring special speakers, in addition to hearing speeches during the convention’s nighttime sessions.
“We’ve been getting some high-visibility speakers coming down for those breakfasts,” the local delegate said Thursday afternoon.
Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee, and North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the GOP nominee for governor, spoke at one of the breakfast meetings that have been held in smaller, more-intimate settings.
Vivek Ramaswamy, former presidential candidate, headlined another morning session of the North Carolina delegation.
Among other speakers for those events were Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Dr. Ben Carson, who served as U.S. surgeon general under Trump.
Performances by country music’s Trace Adkins and Lee Greenwood also have been part of this week’s activities.
The one with Greenwood was accompanied by Southern GOP governors being in attendance.
Daoud also has interacted with individuals including U.S. Rick Scott of Florida; West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice; Mark Walker, a former congressman from North Carolina; and others.
The local man dispatched many photos of the week’s encounters, some of which appear in this issue.
Key votes
There also was some work involved this week, including Daoud and other convention delegates voting to formally nominate Trump and Vance for the GOP ticket in November.
Delegates also adopted the national party platform.
Daoud was one of 72 delegates from the Tar Heel State, being elected during the North Carolina GOP Convention earlier this year.
He is a former Republican Party chairman of the 6th Congressional District in addition to holding a Cabinet post at the state GOP level and serving as finance chairman of the 5th and 10th districts.
Security role
Although a speech by Trump Thursday night was eagerly awaited, Daoud said during the afternoon that the week’s highlight for him as of then had involved his added role as a sergeant at arms for the convention.
It typically involves maintaining order among delegates, but this took on an extra dimension security-wise when Daoud was assigned to monitor the press corps and maintain crowd control right in front of the speakers’ podium Wednesday night.
That session was highlighted by a speech from Vance, of which the Surry man had an up-close view.
Calling it the “coolest situation,” Daoud said there was “incredible energy” surrounding Vance’s remarks.
“It was like incredible that I was even there.”
Daoud planned to return to Surry County today (Friday).
Most Popular
Comments / 0