Valley residents named to represent Alaska at GOP convention

WASILLA — At least one part of the contingent of Alaska Republicans bound for the national convention in Cleveland, Ohio could be the set-up for a classic buddy comedy.

Larry DeVilbiss, the Mat-Su borough’s ex-mayor, is a grizzled veteran of two past conventions, and will support U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) at the July convention. His roommate for three days will be fresh-faced first-timer and former school board member Erick Cordero, bound by the book (and personal enthusiasm) to vote for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida). For three days, they’ll share a $250-per-night hotel room. Can they work together and thrive?

Perhaps disappointingly for fans of off-the-wall antics, the answer appears to be yes.

“I totally support him (Cordero) because he agreed their third vote would be for Cruz,” DeVilbiss said. “If his third vote was for (Donald) Trump, it might be a little different.”

Cruz won the Alaska presidential preference poll, and received 12 delegates. Trump received 11 delegates, while Rubio received five in the contest, which awarded delegates proportionally. While Trump was trumpeted as the presumptive nominee following a win in the Indiana primary earlier this week, state convention rules still apply, which means each of the bound delegates must vote for their nominee until at least the third ballot.

DeVilbiss voted for Cruz, and said he was motivated by practical and spiritual considerations, after his favorite candidate, Ben Carson, dropped out, then gave his support to Trump.

“He seemed to be the most viable option to me, and my religious sensibilities are quite offended at Trump,” he said.

Cordero, who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, said what he saw in Rubio’s background (Rubio’s parents immigrated from Cuba) resonated with his own experience.

“As an immigrant, there’s a connection,” he said. “He could have been an immigrant from another country, and there would still be a connection.”

Cordero also worked on the Rubio campaign in Alaska as the Statewide Social Media Coordinator, and said even in defeat, the Rubio campaign had still been uplifting.

“Even his exit speech was very inspiring,” Cordero said.

About 150 people applied to be delegates. The Alaska Republican Party’s delegate nominating committee winnowed that number down.

According to DeVilbiss and Trump delegate Doyle Holmes, who also attended the 2012 Tampa convention, each day at the convention is largely marked by bus trips between the hotel and the convention center and thorough security screenings. Things move quickly on the convention floor, Holmes said.

“You have to pay a lot of attention to what’s going on,” he said. “It’s fast and furious.”

Numerous protestors gather outside the convention hall, and while inside, television networks, representatives, and celebrities mingle, Holmes said.

“There’s a lot of influential people,” Holmes said. “Lots of politicking.”

Holmes voted for Trump over concerns about national security, and said his candidate’s success was due in part to widespread discontent with the status quo, something he feels is reflected in the rise of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) in Democratic primaries. Trump is an outsider who can change the system, Holmes said.

“If (Trump) is not elected, nothing is going to change in Washington,” he said. “I really don’t believe that the politicians in Washington understand just how mad people are.”

None of the candidates know precisely why they were selected — the nominating committee doesn’t release the criteria used to select them over others — but each said he was honored and excited.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Cordero said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Other Mat-Su borough delegates include former Wasilla planning commission chair and city council candidate Glenda Ledford, and former state legislator and current real estate agent Jerry Ward, of Willow. Both are bound for Donald Trump.

Contact reporter Brian O’Connor at 352-2270, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.