By Kimber Holt
New York City ? Eight years ago, Ronald Casper was high up in the stands at the Republican National Convention in San Diego.
?I got to go the first convention with my wife in 1996,? Ronald Casper, a St. George resident, said. ?I was kind of on the upper row and I thought ?Hey, I?d like to be down on the floor where the delegates are.??
Both Ronald Casper and his wife, Marreen Casper, ran to be delegates for this year?s convention and were both elected. They sit together on the floor inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.
?I finally made it,? Ronald said.
Security lines to get into the Garden caused short delays. The delays caused the Caspers to miss the opening prayer Monday morning, given by Sheri L. Dew, former second Counselor in the General Relief Society Presidency and current President and CEO of Deseret Book.
But Marreen said she thinks it might have been for the better.
?It?s probably [would have been] inappropriate to stand and cheer for a prayer, which is what we would have wanted to do,? Marreen said.
On the floor of the convention, Utahn delegates enjoyed meeting delegates from other states.
?And what?s been really fun is to meet people,? Ronald said. ?Right behind us are the Guam people and in front of us are the Connecticut people. At our hotel we have Puerto Rico, Rhode Island and Delaware, just to meet some of those people and talk to them for a moment and listen to their same resolve that we have. It?s amazing that political kinds of leanings are the same for Republicans in Delaware and Rhode Island as in Utah.?
Like Ronald, Marco Diaz, aspired to be a delegate. He gradated from Brigham Young University in 1995 and is the Chair of Utah Republican Hispanic Assembly. Diaz is attending the convention as an alternate delegate.
Diaz became involved in politics because he realized that ?only through politics can you make lasting changes.?
Ronald agrees that involvement in politics will make a difference.
?The government in America really is what the people are,? Ronald said. ?If they?re conservative or if they?re liberal or whatever, that is what the government is going to be. It?s important that people have an interest in making it something. With that in mind, it?s important to influence that policy as much as we can and be apart of it so people know what we think [and] how we think.?
Former Salt Lake City mayor candidate Molonai Hola always wanted to come to a national convention and this year he is a delegate.
?This is a really critical election,? Hola said. ?So I want to add to the synergy and excitement to help our president.?
Not all Utahns in the Garden are attending the convention as delegates ? some are volunteers.
BYU graduate Tiffany Perry works in Senator Hatch?s office in Washington, D.C. and she chose to be a volunteer because of her passion for the Republican party?s leaders.
?I really believe in George W. Bush,? Perry said. ?I love him with all of my heart. He?s got my heart and my vote.?
