By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
Kansas made its presence felt at the Republican National Convention, with Hays local and delegate Travis Couture-Lovelady representing the Sunflower State.
This marks Couture's fourth convention since 2012, held this week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for Republican Party delegates to select their presidential nominees.
Couture attended the RNC from July 15 to 18 with other Kansans, saying it was a great privilege to make history.
"It's always an honor to do so. You're part of history every time, and I'm certainly humbled and honored to be representing Kansas," he said.
Couture previously served as a Kansas State Representative, first elected in 2012. During his tenure in the Legislature, he served as majority caucus chairman and vice-chairman of the Federal and State Affairs Committee.
He also managed Congressman Tim Huelskamp’s 2014 re-election campaign and worked for then-State Treasurer Ron Estes. Additionally, he spent two years on Capitol Hill with Senator Sam Brownback.
He graduated from Fort Hays State University in 2005 with a degree in political science and has served as the state director of the National Rifle Association since 2015.
On Monday, Couture and 38 other Kansas delegates cast their votes, officially nominating Donald Trump as the Republican presidential candidate.
"We all here understand the gravity of how big of a deal it is to be one of the delegates," Couture said. "The fact we get to cast those votes at the convention as part of the presidential nominating process is a pretty neat experience."
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On Wednesday, Trump announced Senator JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate and delivered one of several speeches at the convention.
Couture said the pairing sends a clear message of supporting working-class Americans and energizes voters for the November election.
"It's been a focus for both of them in their political careers. Getting the working class people who felt the political class sold them out, get them back involved and engaged in believing in America again," he said.
Vance delivered an acceptance speech for the vice presidential nomination, sharing personal stories from his family. Additionally, families of the 13 U.S. service members who lost their lives during the Afghanistan withdrawal also spoke.
"There wasn't much of a dry eye in the place," Couture said. "The overall theme was making America strong again."
The convention covered topics such as inflation, crime, border security, and energy resources, including the use of American oil versus foreign oil.
Kansas Reps. Tracey Mann and Ron Estes, and Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach also attended the convention. Couture also reconnected with former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Donald Trump delivered his acceptance speech on Thursday, five days after the assassination attempt on his life at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13, which resulted in the deaths of the shooter and one rallygoer.
Having attended several conventions, Couture said security is always of the utmost importance, and this year's convention safety measures were similar to previous years.
"They did a wonderful job of keeping all delegates and everyone else attending safe," he said. "As far as we saw, there were very strong security protocols."
You can follow Travis Couture-Lovelady on Facebook.