Most Northeast Ohioans view the Republican National Convention as a traffic disturbance or an excuse for the City of Cleveland to repair roads and parks downtown.
But Congressman Dave Joyce, who represents Lake, Ashtabula and Geauga counties, sees it as an opportunity to celebrate the region.
Part of the campaign to bring the convention to Cleveland was a glamorous dinner at the Cleveland Museum of Art, featuring a chance to mingle with freshly drafted Johnny Manziel. But what really won the event for the city was something else entirely.
“Midwestern hospitality” brought delegates back to the Greater Cleveland area after their first visit in 2006, when it was under consideration for the 2008 RNC Convention.
“I heard consistently that they were
really impressed by it,” Joyce said. “Everyone was proud to show off (the area) and engage them in conversation.”
With convention attendees staying in hotel rooms stretching from Sandusky to Canton to the Pennsylvania border, Joyce is confident they will leave with the idea that Cleveland is a place they can return to when their future business plans include conference travel.
Far from the “glitz and glory” of television, Joyce sees the convention has an opportunity to bring not only tourism dollars, but service and attention to Northeast Ohio.
On Monday night, the convention opens with the “Buckeye Welcome Bash,” a concert and reception intended to raise funds for the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. The event is being held to honor former Congressman Steve LaTourette, Joyce’s predecessor, who held his seat for 18 years and has battled pancreatic cancer.
Senator Rob Portman will also participate in a Habitat for Humanity project benefiting the Buckeye neighborhood in Cleveland’s inner city.
The Ohio coalition that brought the convention to Cleveland in the first place is largely made up of some who backed Gov. John Kasich’s failed presidential run this year.
While Kasich is a notable absence at the RNC Convention, choosing instead to speak at the concurrent NAACP Convention in Cincinnati, many of his supporters are finding ways to shift their allegiances to Donald Trump.
“At the end of the day, our system is set up that Mr. Trump has won and won decisively,” says Joyce. “At this point to think that we’re going to get somebody else at the convention is wishful thinking.”
Joyce is looking forward to Trump’s selections for cabinet positions since, “as a business executive, obviously he’s hired good people,” and he sees a parallel in the office of the presidency.
But before the presidency comes into play, campaigning season will heat up in earnest.
Trump’s “ground game” has been criticized as being underfunded and short-staffed, especially in the crucial battleground state of Ohio.
But in the last few weeks, he has begun spending more heavily in the state, and Joyce predicts that in the weeks after the convention, he will likely receive a “bounce” in both name recognition and poll numbers.
As for Joyce himself, he is happy to be returning to Ohio as the House is currently not in session. As one of the 17,500 people in his district, he relishes the chance during breaks from Congressional work periods in Washington, D.C. to “get to the festivals and fairs and see the people, put your finger on the pulse and properly represent your constituency.”