Eight Fayette County Delegates Attend State GOP Convention

Eight delegates from the Fayette County Republican Party (FCRP) attended the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) 2022 state convention in Houston on June 16-18.

At the County convention this past March, 16 FCRP members were elected to serve as delegates. Eight of those delegates were unable to attend for various reasons.

That left eight delegates who attended: FCRP Chair Deborah Frank, Barbara Appelt, Kimberley Rutledge, David Stall, Linda Stall, Jim Howse, and Darrell and Anne Palm. David Stall served as the Senate District 18 Caucus Parliamentarian.

During the general sessions, delegates heard from many elected officials, including Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator John Cornyn, Attorney General Ken Paxton, State Comptroller Glenn Hegar, and Senator Lois Kolkhorst.

“Of course, the media highlighted the booing incident when Senator John Cornyn came on stage,” said Frank. “While I don’t agree with his support of ‘red flag’ laws, I felt the audience should have been respectful and allowed him to speak without interruption. Another speaker was Winsome Sears, Lt. Governor of Virginia. She gave an excellent, inspiring speech.”

During the second SD18 caucus meeting, district delegates elected the SD18 Committeeman and Committeewoman. There were three candidates for each position. Cheryl Thompson-Draper, Lavaca County Chair, was elected as our Committeewoman. Howard Barker from Harris County was elected as SD18 Committeeman. During the second general meeting, Matt Rinaldi was re-elected as Republican Party of Texas (RPT) Chairman and Dr. Dana Myers was elected as RPT Vice Chair.

In between the Senate District Caucus meetings and General Sessions, the Fayette County delegates visit with elected officials, including a TFRW luncheon, a Congressional luncheon, and an RPT “Texas Patriots” dinner gala. Senator Lois Kolkhorst hosted a Blue Bell ice cream social; U.S. Congressman Michael Cloud hosted a “Shrimp and Shiner” social; Governor Abbott also hosted a welcome event.

On Thursday and Friday there were multiple “Lunch and Learn” sessions covering current topics.

“Overall, it was an informative, well-organized and enjoyable convention,” Frank said.