SAN DIEGO – Southern Californians were delighted when a local Ukrainian was elected as a delegate to the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland on July 17-21.
Bohdan Kniahynyckyj at the Republican National Convention as seen on CNN.
Bohdan Kniahynyckyj is a San Diego resident, active both in the Ukrainian community and in regional politics. Friends, family and neighbors alike, regardless of political affiliation, watched the coverage of the convention to see if Mr. Kniahynyckyj would appear on the screen – and appear he did as part of the California delegation, not only on local news but also on national and Canadian newscasts.
Mr. Kniahynyckyj explained that “Becoming a delegate is a competitive process.” He continued: “I had to submit an application that was vetted by the Central Committee of the RNC and part of the vetting process was a commitment to vote for Donald Trump. Since I didn’t hold public office, I covered all of my expenses. I was very honored to be elected to represent my district.”
For him, the highlight of the convention was “the energy and excitement of being on the floor and being part of the process of representing the voice of the California voters was overwhelming.”
He spoke of the long days at the convention, which started at around 7 a.m. and ended well past midnight. The California delegation was the largest and was housed the furthest away from Cleveland: a convoy of 12 buses, each with two secret service agents aboard, transported delegates to the Convention, about an hour’s drive away.
“Walking around the convention center we saw Republicans of all shapes and sizes, all ethnic groups, all religions. We even had lunch with a journalist from Portugal who had visited Ukraine the year before. …As an added bonus, many servers at our hotel in Sandusky were exchange students from all over Ukraine. They were surprised and excited to meet a Ukrainian in politics,” Mr. Kniahynyckyj related.
Speaking of Mr. Trump, he said: “I believe Donald Trump is very capable of being the next president of the United States of America. His approach may need to be more dignified, but his talents, energy and vision are admired by many Americans. His conservative appointments to the Supreme Court will be crucial, and so far he is listening to the American people. He knows that we have to rebuild our economy, cut deficit spending, secure our borders. Our military has to be combat-ready and strong to meet the needs of this nation.”
Mr. Kniahynyckyj concluded: “It was a great experience to witness how our democratic process works. During the RNC, debates were robust; the issues were resolved, voted on and approved. After 240 years, the electoral process still serves us well.”