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Two delegations of Central Kentucky Republicans are upset at the state party over what they call snubs during weekend meetings to select delegates for this summer's GOP National Convention.
Several Franklin County Republican activists walked out of the 6th Congressional District organizing convention in Frankfort on Saturday after the county party's chairman, Stuart Victor, was left off a list of delegates to the national convention in Minneapolis.
"It looked to us like higher ups made the decisions and ignored those of the little people who do all the work," said Christy Vaughan, a Franklin County GOP activist.
Republican Party Chairman Steve Robertson, a former aide to former Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher, said he compiled a list of names -- three delegates and three alternates from the 6th District to participate in Kentucky's group at the national convention -- after talking with Republicans across the region.
A nominating committee of 10 approved that slate of names by a 9-1 vote with Victor the only opposition, Robertson said.
Victor, who at one point had advocated that Fletcher not seek re-election last year, said only that "I applied to be a delegate and I was unsuccessful."
He can still try to be selected as an at-large delegate in the June 7 statewide Republican convention.
The delegates named were Laura Owens, the former Education Cabinet secretary from Frankfort; Carol Rogers, the Fayette County GOP chairman; and Shirley Wiseman, a former official with the National Homebuilders Association from Lexington.
The three alternate delegates are: Andy Barr, a Lexington lawyer and former legal aide to Gov. Ernie Fletcher; Colleen Chaney, former governor's office of local development director under Fletcher; and Kevin Williams of Lexington, Robertson said.
"The district convention can only bring six people forward and there were more than six people who wanted to go," Robertson said.
The Kentucky GOP will send 45 delegates to Minneapolis in September.
Vaughan said she and others were upset Franklin County's representative in the delegation, Owens, hadn't been active in local grass-roots politics.
"They put someone on to represent us who never comes to meetings. We expected someone who had been with us in the trenches," she said.
Robertson said he understood the Franklin County activists passion for supporting their chairman but argued that Owens, daughter of former GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emberton, has been active in state politics.
The Madison County delegation also protested being left out of voting during the convention. Robertson said the group failed to submit required paperwork to the state party.
