The Connecticut delegation is sharing their thoughts after the first day of the Republican National Convention.
Connecticut Republicans say the first day of their party’s national convention was the tone-setter they were looking for.
“I think it was exciting, I think it was unifying,” Sen. Stephen Harding, (R-Minority Leader) said from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is hosting the Republican National Convention.
The day included Connecticut Republicans casting their 28 votes to make former President Donald Trump the party’s nominee for a third time.
Leora Levy, who previously ran for the U.S. Senate, led the convention in prayer.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
Connecticut’s Republican delegation also approved of the biggest news of the day: Trump’s selection of Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate.
“I have no doubt that he will be successful if he is to be elected to Vice President of the United States,” Harding said.
Vance is a graduate of Yale Law School. He also once compared Trump to Hitler.
But since being elected to the Senate in 2022, he’s been a reliable ally of the former president. The pick drew criticism from Democrats.
“Over and over again, he has proven that he’s going to line with up with the president’s plan to cut taxes for the rich, to deny elections when they don’t turn out well for Republicans,” Sen. Chris Murphy, (D-Connecticut) said on MSNBC Monday.
But Harding says the pick shows the party is open minded.
“In Connecticut politics, we in the Republican party have to be a big tent, and I think it's a positive thing,” he said.
The convention comes just days after a gunman attempted to assassinate Trump during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania.
The shooting drew questions about security at events like the convention, but Harding said the first day felt safe.
