Craig Gilbert

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

WASHINGTON — As the head of a party turned upside down by its nominating fight, Reince Priebus says Republicans need "more than ever" to have a unifying convention this month.

"Given the drama that we've had ... I think now, more than ever, the role of the convention to assist in the unification of the party is going to be extremely important," Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, said in an interview with the Journal Sentinel.

No convention in the past few decades has generated the kind of uncertainty this one has, thanks to an unconventional and polarizing nominee, lingering resistance to Donald Trump within the party, the decision of some party figures to stay home, the decision of some corporate sponsors to stay away and the possibility of unruly protests in the streets.

Priebus declined to talk in detail about the convention program and planning, which is still being finalized at this late date.

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But he discounted forecasts of physical or political upheaval in Cleveland.

"There is not going to be any chaos at the convention. I mean we have incredible security," said Priebus, the Wisconsin lawyer who previously chaired the state GOP.

On the political side, "the delegates aren't interested in chaos. Having arguments over platform and rules is not chaos. It's what parties do."

Priebus said the party was making progress toward unity, but "the more bruises that people take in during the primary process, the longer it takes to heal."

Asked about the continued refusal of some in the GOP to back Trump, the party chairman said, "I think any time Republicans take a position against a presumptive nominee, they're simply aiding and abetting the opponent."

That is a different view than the one voiced by his friend and fellow Wisconsinite, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Janesville, who has endorsed Trump but has also declined to criticize GOP colleagues in the House who have refused to do so.

"I wouldn't tell a person to do something that they believe violates their conscience," Ryan told the Journal Sentinel in an interview last month. "I'm not going to hold an individual person's decision against them."

Unity has been especially elusive in the RNC chair's home state, where Trump attacked Wisconsin's GOP governor — onetime presidential rival Scott Walker — and suffered what was arguably his single worst defeat in the state's April primary.

GOP officials who refuse to back Trump include U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble and Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke of Kaukauna.

Former state party chair Mike Grebe, who chaired Walker's recent campaigns, said Friday he gave up his delegate seat at the convention "because I do not want to be part of a process which results in the nomination of Donald Trump."

Former Gov. Scott McCallum said he gave up his slot as an alternate at the convention because he couldn't cheer for Trump.

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Priebus was interviewed before Grebe and McCallum made those statements. But asked about anti-Trump Republicans, he said they were effectively helping Democrats in this election.

"It's going to take some people longer than others" to support the GOP nominee, he said. "I'm fine with that as long as in the end they come together and realize that another four years of (President Barack) Obama through Hillary Clinton is not a good future for our country."

Priebus said the goals of the four-day convention that starts July 18 are to "unify the party, tell the story of Donald Trump, and make sure that we take action that strengthens the party for years to come."

The program will resemble in many ways those in the past, he said, but with an "infusion" of Trump's own approach and vision of what a party convention should look like.

"It's going to be probably a happy medium between the two ... the traditions of what people expect, and also some of things that Donald Trump wants to see happen," he said.

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Despite the fact that most polls show Trump trailing Clinton, Priebus said he was not worried about Trump's standing at this point in the race, and that "we're exactly where we need to be."

Referring to a recent rocky phase in the race when Trump lost ground to Clinton, Priebus said, "I think that Donald Trump would agree ... a couple of weeks ago, those few weeks were not the best few weeks. But in spite of all that, you look at these polls being within the margin of error."

Most national surveys have Clinton leading by anywhere from low single digits to low double digits.

"Analyzing the outcome of November in June is a fool's errand," said Priebus. "I wouldn't be doing this job if I wasn't optimistic. I am optimistic. I think Hillary Clinton's going to lose and the Republicans are going to win."