This 2013 rule could preclude Vermont GOP from backing Trump

07 June 2024

The 2024 Republican National Convention is scheduled to begin in Milwaukee on Monday, July 15, which is only four days after Justice Juan Merchan plans to sentence presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump on 34 criminal counts. Vermont's GOP delegates will be present at the convention, but according to NBC News report Jane C. Timm, it is "unclear" whether or not they will be able to vote for Trump.

That's because the Vermont Republican Party, Timm reports, has a rule against backing any candidate who has a felony conviction.

"On social media, the party does technically appear to be following the rule; there are no mentions of Donald Trump on the Vermont GOP's Twitter or Facebook pages in the days since the former president's historic guilty verdict in his hush money case," Timm explains in an article published on June 6. "But the party's social media typically talks only about local candidates and presidential candidates who visit the state."

Timm adds, "The rule has been on the books since at least 2013, according to an archived version of the rules. But by early 2022, the party appears to have amended their rules."

During the 2024 GOP presidential primary, many Vermont Republicans supported former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who endorsed Trump two months after dropping out of the race. Haley won all of Vermont's Republican delegates during the primary, but according to the state GOP's rules, delegates to the Republican National Convention are not obligated to support a candidate who has exited the race.

The Vermont GOP's website, in a list of rules, states, "The state committee will not support or promote any candidate for elective office who.… is a convicted felon."

The Democratic National Committee (DNC), Timm reports, is urging Vermont Republicans to cross party lines and support incumbent President Joe Biden in November.

DNC Deputy Communications Director Abhi Rahman told NBC News, "We already knew Donald Trump was a threat to the American people and our democracy, but according to the Vermont GOP's own rules, Donald Trump isn't even eligible to receive their support. We look forward to the Vermont Republican Party supporting Joe Biden this November — the only candidate with a path to 270 that has not been convicted of a felony."

Read NBC News' full report at this link.

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