RENO, NEVADA—Nevada Republican Party leadership could not get enough people to attend the resumption of its state convention scheduled for July 26, 2008. So, on July 17, Party Politics coverage Executive Director Zachary Moyle announced that the Nevada GOP would not reconvene the convention. Moyle said that the party could not convince enough party delegates to attend the July 26 reconvention at the Peppermill hotel here and fell short of the 675 needed for a quorum. Moyle also announced that the party’s executive committee, in a closed-door executive session, would pick the 34 delegates that will represent Nevada at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis Sept. 1-4.

The Nevada State Republican convention was improperly adjourned April 26. After Ron Paul delivered a 14-minute speech that had Paul and McCain supporters alike on fire and the state party platform for 2008 had been amended to reflect Ron Paul campaign values, delegate balloting started coming in at 7-1 in favor of Ron Paul.

Not knowing what else to do—but knowing that the convention had to end in a McCain nomination no matter what—Convention Chairman State Senator Bob Beers announced that the convention was in recess. There was no motion, no second and no discussion so the adjournment was in violation of party convention rules.

Beers claimed that the convention had gone overtime and the Peppermill Hotel management had asked them to leave. The claim was untrue as the room was booked for the following day as well and the Peppermill denied telling Beers to adjourn.

Of the nearly 2,000 people in attendance, very few had left after Beers pounded his gavel. So, according to witnesses and a recording of the event, party leadership turned out the lights, turned off the PA system and left the building.

The majority of Nevada Republicans were not happy with the sudden adjournment. After carefully reviewing all the applicable laws and party rules—including the ones which determine the proper way to adjourn a convention—a reconvention was scheduled for June 28 at the Grand Sierra Hotel. "The management gave us a good deal on the room if we reserved 300 rooms. We filled them all," commented Dennis Grover.

Grover, the host of long-running syndicated community access talk show Liberty and Justice for All, recorded the April 26 convention and the June 28 reconvention.

Everyone, including the state GOP leadership, was invited to the event. Though leadership boycotted the reconvention, it went off by the book and delegates to national were properly elected.

On July 18, properly seated delegates filed a complaint in Nevada District court. The plaintiffs, represented by attorney Mark Goodman, contend that the Nevada State GOP Executive Committee will be in violation of state law if it decides to pick delegates for the national convention in executive session. "Most Republicans are getting fed up with party leadership because of the underhanded tactics instead of principled leadership," said Republican delegate and Ron Paul supporter Mike Weber. "The announcement that national delegates will be appointed by a small group behind closed doors only reinforces this distrust," Weber added.

Note: The injunction was heard and denied July 25, 2008 by Washoe County District Judge Jerry Polaha who ruled that the controversy is an internal Republican Party problem and that the disgruntled party delegate plaintiffs should appeal their objection to the Republican National Committee.