First day of RNC convention goes way off script

The first full day of the Republican National Convention may end up being the most dramatic of all.

It began with an unexpected uprising by anti-Trump delegates and wrapped up with an unexpected appearance by the party’s nominee, Donald Trump.

For several days, delegates unhappy with the party’s presumptive nominee have tried to change the rules within smaller committees at the convention, but on Monday, they took their case to the entire delegation on the floor of the Quicken Loans arena in Cleveland.

Kendall Unrue of Castle Rock, Colorado was among the ringleaders of the effort.

For several months, she has pushed the party to “unbind” delegates, allowing them to vote for their candidate of choice rather than the candidate they are obligated to support according to party rules.

Because the anti-Trump delegates were able to get the majority of delegates in 11 states to support a vote on the floor to unbind delegates, the chair of the rules committee called for a vote.

From the sound of their voices, the chair ruled that a majority of the delegates wanted to keep the rules the same.

But the margin was narrow, and lead to cries from anti-Trump delegates to call for a roll call vote.

After a period of shouting and chanting, a second oral vote was taken.

The second time around, it was clear that there were far more Trump supporters than opponents, essentially ending the anti-Trump movement at the convention.

Delegates in pro-Cruz states like Colorado, Texas, and Virginia were motionless in their seats after the gavel’s final pounding on the podium.

Unrue described it as “tyranny” by the party, saying she was ashamed of her own political affiliation. She said she would not vote for Hillary in November, but would not be voting for Trump either.

The evening portion of Day 1 focused on “Making America Safe Again”, and included speeches by several national security experts and veterans, including the survivors of the Benghazi attack who later wrote the book “13 Hours”.

Melania Trump also spoke about her husband, and to the surprise of the delegation, Trump himself showed up to introduce his wife and later escort her off the stage.

Traditionally, the nominee doesn’t make an appearance until Thursday.

Tuesday’s theme is “Making America Work Again”, and will focus on jobs and the economy.