"I don't think a lot of people realize that we had difficulty hearing what the other states were saying — there were dead spots on the stage," Nicholas said. "That was a little panicky, but we made it through alright."
In August, the Cando resident was elected as assistant secretary of the convention.
  
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After snagging offstage passes through the Credential's Committee, Nicholas caught a view of the convention up close and got a chance to meet Sen. John McCain and his wife, Cindy. She also watched as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin give her now infamous first speech alongside Palin's father, who stepped backstage before his daughter went on. After Palin finished, Nicholas was able to congratulate her offstage.
"I think she's really energized everybody," Nicholas said. After getting long-distance calls for bumper stickers of Palin, Nicholas said this type of excitement is rare.
"So many Americans can identify with the Palin family," she said. "They're extraordinary people that are trying to do the very best they can."
When asked her opinion on Palin's claims to have refused funding for the "bridge to nowhere," Nicholas said it was a moot point.
"From some of the other things she's done, she's shown that she is a true reformist," she said. "She'll shake up Washington, and I think that's exactly what we want."
During the convention, Nicholas and her daughter, Beth Dohman, attended a luncheon with the McCains, and enjoyed hearing Cindy's life story.
"Todd Palin (Gov. Palin's husband) introduced Cindy, and they just all seemed very genuine," Nicholas said. "She's taken it upon herself to do what she can for the less fortunate in the world."
For Nicholas, one of the best parts of the convention was sharing it with her family, the first time the whole crowd could make it. Her daughter said it was an historical moment.
"(Palin) did such a good job," Dohman said. "It's just amazing to be there, because you just play off of all the energy from everyone else. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Of course, watching her mother do the roll call was also very special, she said.
"I was very proud of her," she said.
Dohman was selected as an alternate delegate at the last minute.
"Someone dropped out," she said. "I was planning to go anyway, and just be a guest, but I was lucky to be an alternate."
Politics runs in the family. Dohman's father, Eugene Nicholas, was a former Representative of District 15 in Cando and spent 32 years in state Legislature. Dohman recalls attending a series of church dinners and door-to-door campaigning while growing up, and today acts as secretary for District 25 Republicans.
"I've gotten to do many things on the state level as well," said Dohman, a business banker at Bremer Bank in Breckenridge. "It's been fun."
Nicholas has served on the Republican National Committee for the past 16 years, and was one of a few selected to resolve disputes among states on seating delegates during the convention. She was part of an eight-person committee that chose St. Paul as the location for the convention, and also served on the Presidential Primary Task Force, a committee that tries to stretch out the primary process to give lesser-known candidates a chance to run.
"There's been concern that we're moving closer to the National Primary Day, and a lot of people don't think that's a very good idea," she said. "What happens is only the very wealthy candidates and well-known can get elected. Many of us don't think that's the best for America — to have movie stars be our candidates."
Being a significant part of the GOP has its perks. Over the years, Nicholas has dined with Don King, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who was also at the 2008 Republican National Convention. When she asked Kissinger once what he does with his spare time, he responded, "Well, you know foreign policy is my hobby."
The first convention she attended was in 1976, when Ronald Reagan challenged Gerald Ford for their party's presidential nomination.
"That was pretty amazing — I even had a call from the president at our home, just before I left," she said. "So that was a really exciting time for a North Dakota farm girl."
Nicholas' term as assistant secretary ends in January, but she intends on staying active in the committee from a distance. She and her husband also keep up a small grain farm in Cando.
obama 08 wrote on Oct 1, 2008 2:44 AM:
Victoria Travis wrote on Sep 25, 2008 11:14 PM:
I am excited to have a women working alongside a man, especially these two. Sarah and John are exceptional people. I will support them in any way I can. God is the foundation of this country. There are those that want them to fail, but as a Christian our prayers will not go unanswered. Thank you for running in a very difficult race. Victoria "