Benjamin Proto
| Benjamin Proto | |
 | |
| Republican National Convention, 2016 | |
| Status: | Delegate |
| State: | Connecticut |
| Bound to: | Donald Trump |
| Delegates to the RNC 2016 | |
| Calendar and delegate rules overview • Types of delegates • Delegate rules by state • State election law and delegates • Delegates by state | |
| Benjamin Proto | |
| Basic facts | |
| Current Campaign: | RNC Rules Committee, Republican National Convention, 2016 (Member) |
| Organization: | Benjamin S. Proto Attorney at Law |
| Role: | Founder |
| Location: | Stratford, Connecticut |
| Expertise: | Attorney |
| Affiliation: | Republican |
| Education: | •Southern New Hampshire University (B.S., economics and finance, 1981) •New York Law School (J.D., 1985)[1] |
| Website: | Official website |
Benjamin Proto was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Connecticut. All 28 delegates from Connecticut were bound by state party rules to support Donald Trump at the convention. As of July 13, 2016, Trump had approximately 1,542 delegates. The winner of the Republican nomination needed the support of 1,237 delegates. Trump formally won the nomination on July 19, 2016.
Career
Professional career
In 1996, Benjamin Proto worked in the Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC) for the state of Connecticut, where he remained until 2002. While with the OCC, Proto specialized in public utilities.[1] In 2003, he started his own private practice in Stratford, Connecticut. As a private attorney, Proto focuses on land use, zoning, commercial and residential real estate, and litigation before state and local government entities.[1]
Public service
Between 1987 and 1996, Proto was the chief Counsel to the House Republican Caucus of the Connecticut General Assembly. In 1989, Proto began his six-year tenure as assistant town attorney in Stratford, Connecticut.[2] According to his bio, Proto serves on the board of the Stratford YMCA.[2]
Political activity
In 2000 and 2008, Proto worked in Connecticut for John McCain's (R) presidential campaigns. These were followed with volunteer work in 2012 with Mitt Romney's (R) campaign in New Hampshire.[3]
2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
RNC Rules Committee
- See also: RNC Rules Committee, 2016
Proto was a member of the RNC Rules Committee, a 112-member body responsible for crafting the official rules of the Republican Party, including the rules that governed the 2016 Republican National Convention.[4]
Appointment process
The convention Rules Committee in 2016 consisted of one male and one female delegate from each state and territorial delegation. The Rules of the Republican Party required each delegation to elect from its own membership representatives to serve on the Rules Committee.
Delegate rules
Delegates from Connecticut to the Republican National Convention were selected by the presidential candidates and approved by the state executive committee of the Connecticut Republican Party in May 2016. Delegates from Connecticut were bound to vote at the convention for the candidate to whom they were allocated based on the results of the state primary election. Delegates were allowed to vote for a different candidate after the first round of voting or if their candidate released them.
Connecticut primary results
| Connecticut Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
 Donald Trump |
57.9% | 123,484 | 28 | |
| John Kasich | 28.4% | 60,503 | 0 | |
| Ted Cruz | 11.7% | 24,978 | 0 | |
| Ben Carson | 0.8% | 1,731 | 0 | |
| Other | 1.3% | 2,676 | 0 | |
| Totals | 213,372 | 28 | ||
| Source: The New York Times and Connecticut Secretary of State | ||||
Delegate allocation
Connecticut had 28 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 15 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's five congressional districts). Connecticut's district delegates were allocated on a winner-take-all basis; the candidate who won a plurality of the vote in a district received all of that district's delegates. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the statewide primary vote, he or she received all of the state's district delegates.[5][6]
Of the remaining 13 delegates, 10 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 20 percent of the statewide primary vote in order to be eligible to receive any of the state's at-large delegates. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the statewide vote, he or she received all of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[5][6]
See also
- Republican National Convention, 2016
- 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules
- RNC delegate guidelines from Connecticut, 2016
- Republican delegate rules by state, 2016
- Presidential election, 2016
- Presidential candidates, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 LinkedIn, "Benjamin Proto," accessed June 29, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Benjamin S. Proto Attorney at Law, "About," accessed June 29, 2016
- ↑ Connecticut Mirror, "Establishment well-represented among Trump’s CT delegates," May 11, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia's list of 2016 RNC Rules Committee members is based on an official list from the Republican National Committee obtained by Ballotpedia on June 24, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
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