RNC committee affirms challenge to replace Missouri delegates

The Missouri Republican Party must replace 54 national convention delegates and alternate delegates, a Republican National Convention (RNC) committee recently ruled, citing "alarming irregularities" in the state's convention process in May.

The RNC Committee on Contests, in a ruling last week, affirmed a challenge brought by two individuals who were members of another slate of potential delegates. The individuals argued the delegates at the state convention were not properly credentialed at the Missouri Republican State Convention on May 4.

Last Friday, the committee sided with the complainants and directed the state party executive committee to vacate the original slate of 54 delegates and replace them by July 5 at 5 p.m., per the report, shared with The Hill Tuesday.

"We understand the urgency and importance of this matter and are working diligently to ensure that all proper procedures are followed within the constrained deadline. While this process unfolds, we remain focused on selecting a delegation that will represent Missouri well at the RNC," the Missouri Republican Party said in a statement to The Hill.

The state party noted it did not play a role in the committee's decision.

The complaint "provided ample proof of alarming irregularities in the State Convention’s credentialing procedures," the committee said in its report, pointing to the "absence of names on delegate lists" and "the distribution of delegate credentials to alternate delegates without confirming who they were replacing."

The state GOP convention also failed to ensure alternate delegates came from the same counties as the delegates they would be replacing and that some were listed on more than one slate of names, the committee said.

Missouri gets 54 delegate votes at the Republican National Convention, which will kick off in Milwaukee on July 15.

Of that number, 24 were elected at eight congressional district conventions in April and 27 were elected as at-large delegates at the state convention on May 4, per the Missouri Independent. There were 27 alternates picked at the state convention.

The original slate of delegates, however, was replaced during the convention after a rule change that allowed The Truly Grassroots for Trump slate to be the only one presented for a vote, per the Missouri Independent.

The switch-up during the convention came amid a drama-filled day, in which the delegate credentialing process took about four hours, according to local news reports.

Daniel O'Sullivan, one of the state convention delegates behind the complaint, told the Missouri Independent the ruling represents one of many issues stemming from the convention.

“They can’t produce a list of who was in attendance,” O’Sullivan said.  “They can’t certify who the delegates to the convention were, so the committee can’t say that the product of the convention was valid, and they therefore did not even deal with the questions we had regarding things that occurred during the event itself.”

Sullivan and Derrick Good — the second person behind the complaint — said they both expect to be on the list of delegates chosen as replacements, the Missouri Independent reported.

Among the list of rejected delegates includes state GOP gubernatorial candidates — state Sen. Bill Eigel and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft — per the Missouri Independent.

When reached for comment, the RNC directed The Hill to the state GOP party.