A Deep Dive into the Swamp of the Washington Republican Convention
TVW Washington provided gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Washington State Republican Convention in Spokane on April 19 and 20, 2024.
The videos produced by TVW are in three sections: April 19 morning, April 20 morning, and April 20 afternoon. Delegates attended small concurrent sessions on the afternoon of April 19. No videos are available of those meetings.
Session 1: April 19 Morning
The drama began early as Republican candidates for statewide offices sought endorsements from the convention. Controversies became heated as supporters of Dave Reichert and Semi Bird clashed on whether Bird had provided the information required by the convention’s rules to receive its endorsement.
Bird pled guilty to misdemeanor bank larceny in 1993 according to the Seattle Times. He did not share that information with the convention’s Candidates Committee, and a proposal to disqualify him from endorsement was considered before ultimately failing to gain traction.
Reichert, who had been expected at the convention, refused to attend and abruptly withdrew his request for the convention’s endorsement. Bird’s endorsement was supported by 72% of the delegates.
Reichert, who remains in the race, said in a phone interview Sunday with KUOW that the rules around endorsement disqualification kept changing.
“I just became disheartened in the disjointed party factions and just decided it wasn't worth going through a deceptive process,” Reichert said. “And I really don't need their endorsement.”
Session 2: April 20 Morning
Semi Bird returned to the podium with an impassioned and often fact-free speech. Channeling Trump, Bird didn’t let the truth get in the way of a narrative that provided much red meat for the MAGA majority of Republican delegates.
Session 3: April 20 Afternoon
In the last session of their two-day convention, the Washington State Republicans adopted a resolution to revoke the 17th Amendment to the US Constitution. This amendment, adopted in 1913, provides for the direct election of US Senators rather than by the state legislatures. The debate begins at 1:40:00.
Much support for the amendment’s revocation is based on the knowledge that Republican majorities currently control 27 state legislatures, and Democrats control 20. If the 17th Amendment was revoked, the state legislatures would elect US senators, ensuring a massive Republican majority in the Senate.
The “bad idea” argument about “devolving into a democracy,” featured on the April 29 Rachel Maddow Show, begins at 1:49:38.