OWENSVILLE — Seventy-two registered Gasconade County Republicans caucusing Saturday in the St. James UCC Charlotte parish hall pledged the county’s four delegates for upcoming GOP district and state conventions to former president Donald J. Trump.

A small group of seven stood separate from Trump supporters across the hall, pledging support for Nikki Haley, a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from South Carolina. Those seven would not reach the 15 percent of registered caucus participants to form a subcaucus in an effort to steer a delegate toward their candidate. They would have needed 12 people siding as a group to be considered as a subcaucus.

About 35 minutes into the nearly two and a half hour proceeding, Gasconade County caucus participants voted 72 to 7 to commit all four delegates to Trump. Kurt Keller made the nomination which received a second from Jerry Lairmore.

Bill Chapman had nominated Haley and was joined by six fellow supporters across the room from the Trump supporters.

Chapman, who recapped Trump-backed losses in the most recent mid-term election cycle, attempted to sway fellow caucus members Trump could potentially hurt the Republican party’s chances in the fall.

“I don’t believe Donald Trump to be an honest man,” said Chapman.

He said he felt more people might be interested in voting for President Joseph Biden as a vote against Trump. He added he would not vote for Biden or Trump and will vote for Haley “if needed.”

According to minutes from the proceedings, “Voters were directed to areas in the room for each candidate’s supporters to congregate. Donald J. Trump received 72 votes which was 91.1% of the vote. Nikki Haley received 7 votes which was 8.9% of the vote. Since Donald J Trump received over 50% of the vote, he was declared the ‘winner take all’ of the caucus and will receive all 4 county delegates. Haley’s supporters were told they were below the 15% threshold and consequently their candidate was eliminated. None chose to join the Trump voters.”

Caucus participants also selected four delegates and four alternates to each of the scheduled April 6 Third Congressional District convention and the May 4 state convention.

Selected in handwritten and hand-counted paper ballots to represent Gasconade County in next month’s district assembly were Kurt Keller, Carol Keller, Ron Hardecke and Brandon Duncan. Alternates are Cheryl Bohl, Jessica Wildebrandt, Michael Koebel, and Chris Humphrey. Other nominees being considered included Jackie Humphrey and Duane Roesner.

Selected as state convention delegates were both of the Kellers, Duncan, and Bohl. Alternates included Sharon Fennewald, Ron Nicks, Koebel, and Humphrey.

Republicans also used the caucus gathering to promote several amendments being included in the state GOP platform as policies the county members wanted to support.

Being submitted the GOP State Platform Committee are provisions seeking “constitutional sheriff protection” (approved 60-2), “-freedom to worship” proposal (approved 64-2), “freedom of health care” (approved 57-4), “elimination of the U.S. Department of Education’s Outstanding Schools Act (approved 53-2), and a provision setting gold and silver as “sound currency” (approved 63-0).

A proposal to “disclose party affiliation and established closed primaries” for future primary election was rejected with 12 votes for approval and 32 voting against.

The sheriff’s proposal was pitched as the means to protect the rights of counties to elect their sheriff. Bohl said the protection was needed to keep “three letter agencies or the highway patrol” from possibly taking over county sheriffs’ departments.

Bohl also garnered support for the “freedom of worship” platform noting “liquor stores and porn stores” were allowed to remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic but churches were restricted on gatherings.

Bohl also noted the party’s opposition to vaccine mandates in seeking support for the platform for health care freedom.

On education, Bohl suggested “control must be returned to the parents” and suggested the U.S. Department of Education be eliminated and “return power to parents.”

Regarding the state’s department of education, DESE, Bohl said, “DESE’s gotten out of control” and suggested the caucus members support the platform to “put the horse back in the barn a little bit, so to say.”

Both gold and silver are acceptable to the platform approved supporting the sound currency proposal.

The proposal to have voters declare their party affiliation was rejected. Bohl noted the proposal included maintaining public records of individuals’ party affiliation if this platform was adopted.

Gasconade County Clerk Lesa Lietzow, who caucused with the small Haley faction, told participants there were only about 20 people of the more than 10,000 registered voters in the county who declared their party affiliation in prior election cycles. As elections stand now, you are asked which ballot you would like to vote in a primary. 

County clerks, election authorities for their respective counties, are not supportive of the closed primary system, said Lietzow.

“We just assume you voters make the choice,” she told the group.

At the end of the day, all of Missouri’s 54 delegates were committed to Trump.

Earlier, nominations for permanent chair and permanent secretary of the were also held with Carol Keller was the only nomination for chair and Karin Walking was the only nomination for secretary. Both were elected unanimously.