Republican convention chaos is in full swing in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as two competing delegations are vying to be seated in Cleveland.
On Monday, the Republican National Committeeman from the USVI, Holland Redfield, issued a press release announcing the nine-person delegation from the U.S. territory in the Caribbean. The move comes a few weeks after John Canegata, chairman of the Republican Party in the Virgin Islands, announced a different slate of delegates.
Republicans in the USVI are embroiled in a soap operatic controversy and competition for nine delegate slots — six that are elected and three that are supposed to automatically go to the state party chairman and the RNC committeeman and commiteewoman. Normally, it might be an interesting sideshow. But the rising likelihood of a contested convention made delegate positions a valuable commodity.
“I am very confident that the delegates who received the most votes will be properly seated and look forward to serving with these fine people,” Redfield said in a statement.
Canegata responded to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner by re-issuing a previous press release announcing his delegate slate and their committee assignments. “My comment may sound familiar to you, but I will repeat it again for clarity,” he said in an email.
In a previous email exchange with the Examiner regarding this matter, he said that “there is only one Virgin Islands delegation.”
“The RNC will accept our delegation, as I (the chairman) file the report that is accepted as the official delegation. Anyone can challenge anything, but that will be taken up only by the RNC Committee on Contests and the Convention Credentials Committee,” Canegata said. “There is no John Yob slate. There is no alternative slate. At best, it’s one opinion from one rogue member – a member who never even participated in the deliberations of the subcommittee he serves on — which has no standing other than it being his opinion.”
The competing factions are fighting over John Yob, a Republican operative from Michigan who recently moved to the islands with his family. Yob, his wife and another couple allied with him ran for delegate and won four slots. Old guard Republicans there challenged their qualifications to serve — the court case is ongoing —and Canegata ultimately ruled them ineligible and elevated the elected alternates.
How far has the feud progressed? Canegata included Redfield in the new slate, which is standard considering he is the RNC committeeman and as such an automatic delegate. Redfield’s competing slate did not include Canegata, who is afforded the same privilege by virtue of being the state party chairman.
The Redfield slate is pledging to arrive in Cleveland uncommitted to any presidential candidate.
The Canegata slate, if it holds as the chairman predicts, would result in the gain of one delegate each for Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and New York businessman Donald Trump. The two delegates from this slate assigned to the important convention rules committee includes one delegate, Valerie Stiles, who ran pledging to support Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who has since suspended his campaign.
The other rules committee position was snagged by, Robert Max Schanfarber, who was elected as a Cruz delegate.
