MILWAUKEE — Delegates from the Eastern Shore joined thousands of politically active Republicans in Milwaukee Wisconsin for the party’s National Convention this week.
At the Republican National Convention, which ran from July 15 to 18, delegates selected Donald Trump as the party’s nominee for president and J.D. Vance as its nominee for vice president. The GOP also made key decisions about the party’s political platform.
The Eastern Shore’s elected delegates used their time at the convention to learn how the Republican party is prioritizing public safety, stimulating the economy and addressing immigration, according to Julie Giordano, Wicomico County executive.
Giordano was there as a delegate from Maryland’s 1st Congressional District, which encompasses the Eastern Shore as well as Harford and parts of Baltimore counties. With her were fellow 1st District delegates Danielle Hornberger, county executive for Cecil County, and Kathy Szaliga, a member of the House of Delegates representing Baltimore and Harford counties.
As county executive and an active part of the Wicomico community, Giordano said federal policies like those discussed at the convention play a crucial role in local communities. She said during her campaign for county executive, she ran on issues concerning public safety, education and the economy, which she says have all been affected by federal policies.
“The things that I’m trying to do are affected because of policies made at the federal level,” Giordano said. “When I see a change in those federal policies, it then trickles down. It trickles down to the state, and then trickles down to the county.”
Among the many areas of policy raised at the convention, Giordano said public safety was a main topic of discussion.
This convention came on the heels of an assassination attempt on Trump during a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, which happened less than two days before the convention began.
Giordano said in the aftermath of the assassination attempt, Trump’s campaign emphasized the need for unity and policy priorities such as public safety and local economy stimulation.
“I do think that there is definitely more of a push for a unified America,” Giordano said. “We see it across both sides of the aisle, that President Biden and President Trump both have condemned political violence, and I think that that unifying message is really resonating.”
On the final day of the convention, a much anticipated speech from the former president was given to close out the convention. In his over 90-minute speech Trump accepted the party’s nomination, expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support following the assassination attempt and shared his concerns over the “invasion” at the Southern border.
For Giordano, the issue of immigration hit close to home. She said the schools in the Eastern Shore are overflowing and a lot of the new students are “the ESL (English as a Second Language) population.”
“It’s affecting our schools,” Giordano said. “It’s affecting our county itself. It affects a lot of different things. And we are all about bringing people here. This is the greatest country on Earth, but they have to do it legally.”
At the end of the convention Giordano said it was an amazing experience and encouraged everybody to become politically involved and partake in events such as the convention.
“I don’t care if you are a Republican or a Democrat,” Giordano said. “If you feel strongly about a candidate, and you get to go and be part of the convention, it is such an amazing experience, because you are around people that think the same way you do and want the same things that you do.”
Konner Metz contributed to this story.
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