By Marilyn Miller
As a member of the Operations & Production Team for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin July 15-18, 2024, Minden’s Alex Martin can say that “he has experienced it all” in the arena of United States politics.
Alex was in Milwaukee as an intern when a lone shooter attempted to take the life of former President and current Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump. “That was a crazy afternoon,” Alex remembered. “I was in Milwaukee, and it was only a few hours before the final security sweep at the convention (venues) was to take place. We were just incredibly thankful that he (Trump) was okay.”
From the hanging of the first monitor to the banging of the first gavel, Martin was there to experience it all. “We handled a lot of logistics,” he added, which was important when dealing with four different venues, the Fiserv Forum (home of the Milwaukee Bucks), the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panther Arena, the Baird Convention Center and the Miller High Life Room.
The Fiserv Forum was the biggest venue to decorate with artwork, signage, display screens, monitors, and lighting. Staging the convention floor was the biggest challenge, but Alex and his team also handled the vendors, hotel assignments, suites, and more. Alex was lucky in that his Special Committee on Arrangements team started out with half a dozen invited interns, but swelled to 70 or 80 people when the volunteers arrived.
“We had six weeks in total (for interns like Alex to work with RNC staffers), then 4 ½ weeks to get the places prepared for Convention week. We put out a lot of fires,” Alex recalled.
The Republican National Convention “was a great experience,” he said. The theme throughout the week was “Bring America Back” to its core values, to making the nation well again, making it strong again, wealthy again and safe again. “There was a lot of focus on ‘Everyday Americans,’ who were given the opportunity to speak to politicians, and they listened,” Alex said. “We all want to restore our nation to its previous highs, which is why the convention focused on what we stand FOR, not against. THIS is what we want to do for the American people.”
Many “everyday people” told their stories. On the night dedicated to “Making America Safe Again”….some pretty touching stories came from everyday Americans. People wanting to make America wealthy again…where people can’t afford gas and food. “Just dealing with our country’s unsafeness was eye-opening,” Alex said. “The secularization of our nation…when we don’t have a big God, we have a big government.” This is why we are in the mess we are in today.”
“I learned so much. Politics is a multi-faceted industry. Campaign politics. Bureaucratic politics. Elected officials. Fundraising. Politics is not a one size fits all approach. There’s no doubt we have division today, but it is portrayed as contained. Unity is super important. But division helps you…our country was founded on a righteous division,” Alex summarized.
“We as a people and even as a party, will show what we are against. But we showed what we are for…make the lives better for everyone. Too often we’ve heard big names in politics. Instead, we heard from people in small places…what they wanted to hear and what they want to see change. We want it for everybody, not just one group.”
What is the campaign doing publicly? Targeting voter groups to see what they want. “Hey, we’re not just saying this message is for Republicans, we want to reach the forgotten men and women in America, and what do you want for America. We want to connect with these forgotten groups.”
Is this an earnest promise? Yes, according to Alex. “J.D. Vance has been authentic with everything he’s done. Trump (look at his first administration). Trump really seems like a changed man. He didn’t have to take a bullet for this country. He wants to help everyday Americans like you and me”
About his job at the RNC, Alex said, “It was really cool to see everything come together. Everything always got done…I don’t know how, but it did. It was just a really fulfilling experience in general. I would 110 percent do it again!! Everybody was amazing.”
On a more personal level, Alex is preparing to start a Blog (no release date) for “educating Christians and non-Christians on the timeless truth of the Word of God and how it applies to our politics and our current events today.” The name of the blog is “Timeless Truth Media.”
“With me being in college, I have a lot of friends who don’t know how to engage in current events and politics using wisdom and discernment,” Alex explained. That’s what the blog will aim to do.