A fourth-time delegate to the Republican National Convention this week, state Rep. Mike Bayham is the guest for episode 67 of the LaPolitics Report podcast. While he's backing former President Donald Trump this go around, Bayham on three other occasions sought to back candidates who weren't the front-runners. "Oh, we got a lot of pressure," Bayham said, reflecting on various efforts for him and others to switch sides in previous conventions. This week, however, he and the rest of Louisiana's delegation will support Trump across the board. "Absolutely," he said when asked. Bayham also covered the basics for this week, from how delegates were selected to exactly how much money it costs to be part of a party convention. "It's completely out of pocket," he said. "They charge you for everything. It's extremely expensive." While Trump's nomination won't be a surprise, delegates are expected to vote on a new GOP platform, which includes tweaking long-held stances on a federal abortion ban and other issues. Bayham said he anticipated the changes while watching "Trump trying to shift a little bit off" of traditional GOP messaging on these topics. Plus, in our regular history segment, we hear the 1976 "Challenge" speech delivered by Ronald Reagan at that year's Republican National Convention. Bayham also turned an eye to local politics of yesteryear and shared his own memories of two late elected officials that defined his St. Bernard Parish, state Sen. Lynn Dean and Parish President Junior Rodriguez.
