Five more big issues New York Republicans are talking about at the RNC

On the last day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, New York’s delegates again gathered for a morning of speeches and discussion about U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s non-endorsement, vice presidential nominee Mike Pence’s speech and Donald Trump's upcoming acceptance speech Thursday night. Here’s what they’re saying. 

Ted Cruz’s speech

The U.S. senator from Texas was the runner-up in the Republican presidential primary, trailing only the eventual nominee, Donald Trump, who took to calling Cruz “Lyin’ Ted” and suggested – falsely – that Cruz’s father had been involved in the plot to kill President John F. Kennedy. Cruz, who had pledged to endorse whomever won the GOP primary, made a speech at the convention on Wednesday but pointedly did not endorse Trump.

"He is saying that he doesn't want Donald Trump to be president of the United States. That's what he's saying." -New York state Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox

“For Ted Cruz to do that, it just reaffirms to that it’s all about Ted Cruz. He lost this race the old-fashioned way: He didn’t get enough votes. And votes are people. And he didn’t respect the will of the people. To go in there and disregard that shows exactly what his agenda is – it’s all about him, it’s all about where he’s going to go, rather than where the country is going to go, where we’re going to go with a Trump presidency, and I think he’s done long-term damage to himself, and that’s something he’ll have to deal with.” -Rep. Tom Reed

 “I think it’s real simple. Mr. Cruz broke his word. He made a promise to support the winner of the primary, and he broke his promise. I was told a long time ago by Guy Molinari, one my political mentors, that your word is a bond in politics. Well, I guess in Ted Cruz’s case his word is worthless. I’m reminded of the following fact: This is precisely what ruined Nelson Rockefeller in the Republican Party when he didn’t endorse Goldwater. And it is precisely what helped Ronald Reagan when he did endorse Gerald Ford.” -Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani

“Unfortunately, Sen. Cruz should realize that last night was not about him. He sort of popped balloons at Donald Trump’s party, and I thought that was uncalled for. If you’re not going to go all the way, then just don’t do it. It was sort of like the FBI director. It reminded me of (James) Comey, where he’s making the case, leading you on, bringing you up to the line, and then he stops and backtracks. Everyone’s jaw dropped then, and I think everyone’s jaw dropped last night.” -Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino

“I think it’s unfortunate that Sen. Cruz acted in what I just think is a self-centered and in many ways selfish manner. I thought he was trying to be too cute. If you can’t endorse him, don’t show up at his party. And in that way, walked on a little bit of the press that Gov. Pence would have gotten.” -Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro

Mike Pence’s speech

Wednesday night was the big coming-out party for Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a relatively little-known social conservative who was picked as Trump’s running mate over other contenders like former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

“Having served with Mike Pence in the U.S. House of Representatives and watching what he’s done as governor of Indiana, I can tell you what you saw was classic Mike Pence. I thought he did an outstanding job. That’s who he is. He’s a great communicator. He talks very Midwestern-y, if that’s a word out there. He’s just a regular guy and solid individual and you saw that on display last night.” -Tom Reed

“Pence was fantastic and I think really calmed the nerves of anyone who had any trepidation of voting for Trump as a conservative. He’s just steady as they go. I got to know him a little bit in 2014, and he’s just so unassuming, so down to earth, but so steady, and that’s what you need. I think he’s going to be a great vice president.” -Rob Astorino

“I think Pence did marvelously. He won the crowd over. A lot of people who didn’t know him felt his warmth, sincerity. He’s a principled person, and that came off very well.” -Queens County Republican Party Chairman Bob Turner

The week so far

One major goal for Republican Party officials during the four-day convention is to present a unified front. Several developments during the week – a confrontation over a vote on the rules, an uproar over plagiarism in Melania Trump’s speech, Cruz’s non-endorsement – have threatened to overshadow the planned programming.

“People are enthusiastic. I want you to know that. I think the last time I saw this enthusiasm was at the convention in New York in 2004. And we won that year.” -Rudy Giuliani

“I think that this campaign is about Donald Trump, so what happens in this convention may be worth talking about, and certainly I would always like things to be as picture-perfect as possible. And things could certainly always go better.” -Marc Molinaro

“Minor distractions. It’s all going to mean nothing after tonight. This is all going to be about Donald Trump and what he says. And so the whole slate will be wiped clean. Nobody will care. Nobody will talk about it, other than what Donald Trump says tonight.” -Rob Astorino

Donald Trump’s speech

A number of Republican officials have argued that the most critical part of the convention is the acceptance speech by the party’s nominee, Donald Trump. The address will dominate the national TV shows and headlines and, assuming it goes off without a hitch, could help the party put the various distractions behind them.

"The acceptance speech tonight is going to be very important. And then after that you're going to have the debates, and the debates are going to be a heavyweight debates." -Ed Cox

“I think his speech tonight will set the tone for this next chapter of the campaign. People are going to make this decision not based on what happened at either one of these conventions. It’s going to be: Do you trust Hillary, or do you believe in Donald? In that end, those are binary choices.” -Marc Molinaro

“There will thunderous applause. It will be a rousing speech tonight.” -State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan

The party platform

Presidential nominating conventions are often more about politics than policy, and that has certainly been the case this year. Apart from Donald Trump’s celebrity and his campaign’s efforts to put on an unprecedented spectacle, however, at least some delegates have focused on the policy issues.

“If you look at the Republican platform, versus the Democratic platform, it is night and day. It is black and white. It could not be any clearer about what our priorities are. In my humble opinion, the primary obligation of the federal government is a strong national defense. And there is no one – no one better suited to handle that than Donald Trump and Gov. Pence.” -John Flanagan

“I’m one of the few people that actually read the platform, and I think everyone can get under that broad tent. But it seems that the platforms are ignored. Nobody knows what’s in them a week after they’re written. We’ll have to see how the policies are implemented after Jan. 20. So hang on – let’s see.” -Bob Turner