The Republican Committee of Lancaster County endorsed the following Delegates from the 16th District:
Dave Dumeyer, Gordon Denlinger, and Thomas Chiomento.
The following Alternate Delegates were also endorsed:
Tom Jones, Dick Shellenberger, and Richard Loughery.
Here is the LNP Article discussing each of their positions…
How will Lancaster County’s Republican delegates vote at the convention?
SAM JANESCH | Staff Writer
Apr 7, 2016
Nine local Republicans are vying to become part of a selective group of Pennsylvania delegates to the Republican National Convention this summer in Cleveland.
Unlike other recent presidential primaries, the delegates could play a crucial role this year as a contested convention — last seen in 1976 — appears likely.
And Donald Trump’s loss in Wisconsin makes Pennsylvania a critical battleground as he looks to secure 1,237 delegates necessary for the party nomination.
But winning the state’s primary guarantees the support of only 17 delegates out of Pennsylvania’s 71-member delegation. The remaining 54 are “unbound,” meaning they are free to support a candidate of their choosing.
Most Lancaster County voters will be represented by delegates from the 16th Congressional District. Tuesday night, at a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Lancaster County, the candidates seeking to represent the district faced questions from voters about which presidential candidate they are supporting — and whether they would compromise on that personal choice for the sake of how the 16th district votes on April 26.
Here is what they said.
Delegate candidates: Vote for no more than 3
Doug Brubaker
Background: East Hempfield Township supervisor and runs family-owned Brubaker Inc., a home services, appliances and remodeling company.
Personally supports: Ted Cruz
How he views the role: Brubaker said failing to earn the Lancaster GOP endorsement frees him to vote more based on his principles, though the voters in the district are “first and foremost in my mind.”
Quotable: “I make my decisions based on my principles. Principles come first ahead of party, ahead of perks, ahead of preferences.”
Thomas Chiomento
Background: From Kennett Township, Chester County; director of government affairs at Exelon, a utilities company
Personally supports: Unspecified.
How he views the role: He would view himself as a representative of the Republican voters and would make his decision based on the primary vote.
Quotable: “I intend to vote for the candidate who receives the majority of the votes in the primary election. I think that it’s important that the Republican base, the voters in the election are heard.”
Terry Christopher
Background: From Lancaster Township; he is an advertising manager at AvidSphere, veteran of the U.S. Air Force
Personally supports: Donald Trump
How he views the role: While Christopher said he “will do everything he can to get (Trump) elected,” he is also 100 percent bound by what the voters decide in the primary. If Trump loses, he would not cast his vote for Trump.
Quotable: “You tell me who to vote for, I vote for. On the second ballot, I vote for that same guy. I do it again on the third ballot, the fourth ballot, the fifth ballot, until we have a nominee for president. Unless we choose someone in the 16th district who is an obstructionist candidate that cannot be elected at the nominating convention, I will continue to vote for that person without question.”
Gordon Denlinger
Background: Former six-term state House member who lost primary for state Senate in 2014; he is a CPA who is launching a new bank in the county and was also a delegate to the 2008 RNC; endorsed by the county committee as delegate this year
Personally supports: Unspecified: “I have my leanings but I’m keeping them to myself at this point.”
How he views the role: Denlinger would count the voters’ choice as the most important part of his decision, but he believes the process leaves room for the delegates to use their own “discernment and judgement.”
Quotable: “We can all stand in our corner and shout but I think at some point we have to have a dialogue and a discussion that leads to a conclusion.”
Dave Dumeyer
Background: Current Lancaster GOP chairman for eight years, unconsecutively; delegate to the 2008 RNC; endorsed by the county committee as delegate this year
Personally supports: Unspecified
How he views the role: Dumeyer emphasized his experience as a delegate and relationships with state party leaders in saying he views the position as a balance, but he’s going to support the voters’ choice.
Quotable: “I will support their candidate .. through the first ballot, second ballot if the person is not disqualified or withdrawn, and I will continue to do that until it appears that that person is no longer eligible.”
Marc Lemon
Background: From Manheim Township, he has spent the last 16 years in Washington, D.C. as a Bush administration official and is a partner at the Polsinelli law firm.
Personally supports: Donald Trump (and has contributed financially to his campaign)
How he views the role: Lemon said he would consider a variety of factors in making a “smart, strategic” decision at the convention to avoid a situation that “disintegrates” the party: his Christian faith, the voters’ choice in the primary, and the interests of the state, country and Republican party.
Quotable: “We need to make sure that we go the convention and navigate it properly so the party doesn’t become disintegrated through the process but also that we find a way to keep the people who have come into the party, for example, through the Trump campaign.”
Alternate delegate candidates: Vote for no more than 3
Tom Jones
Background: From East Donegal Township, he is the owner of Tom Jones Landscaping and Lawn Care
Personally supports: Ted Cruz
How he views the role: Jones would vote for the candidate who most closely aligns with his values and “would have a very difficult time casting a vote for Donald Trump.”
Quotable: “I am not part of the anybody-but-Trump camp. I am not a fervent anti-Trump vocalist about that, I’m not against him to that degree. I have stated who I lean toward but I have made no commitment.”
Richard Loughery
Background: From Coatesville, Chester County, he is the Chester County recorder of deeds and chairman of the Chester County Young Republicans
Personally supports: Unspecified
How he views the role: Loughery also views the role as being a representative of the voters and said the convention could be a unifying moment for the party if they coalesce around a candidate.
Quotable: “I will respect the wishes, through the first ballot, very much so of the 16th district.”
Dick Shellenberger
Background: Former Lancaster County commissioner and current Penn Township supervisor
Personally supports: Unspecified
How he views the role: Shellenberger said he would first of all represent the voters of the district, but he thinks there is also room for judgement. He considers experience and “backbone” as some of the most important factors in choosing a nominee.
Quotable: “Obviously at the beginning it’s the wishes of the people that have elected us. I do think that if we run into a stone wall then I agree we have to be wise. We have to pray about it and ultimately see what will bring us together.”
