Through two sessions of voting on Sunday, the Nationalist Party elected its slate of nominees for the general statewide election. The platform committee also presented its plan for the party’s platform. Candidates were chosen for the Court of Appeals, Comptroller, Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor, and Governor.

Roosevelt County’s Daniel Rivas (#0049) delivered an electrifying series of speeches, earning him the Governor nomination. He started his first speech by delivering a prayer in Spanish, his mother tongue, before gradually raising his voice to a roar. After being announced as the winner, Rivas led the Nationalist Party in a raucous a cappella rendition of the Boys State Alma Mater. He closed with a mission: “Let’s get a Boys State governor that’s Nationalist!”

For Lieutenant Governor, Kogutek’s Aidan Moodley (#0211) came out on top. It was a contentious election between Moodley and Wong County’s Jackson Farrington (#0449). Before the final round of voting, chants took over the room between counties allied with Kogutek and counties allied with Wong. #0211, in his victory speech, promised, “I will vote for you. I’m going to vote for this Nationalist Party. I hope that our party will be able to be truly united together.”

The party coalesced around Xinxu Li (#0287) for Attorney General. Li credits his role as a lobbyist in Boys State for giving him the credentials necessary for the position. He argued that because he is a lobbyist, he is able to preview the laws that have been proposed, allowing him to have added insight.

The race for State Comptroller received the strongest response from the crowd. Pedro’s Craig Eng (#0565) won the majority of votes in a six way race. Drawing on his years of experience as an Irish step dancer, he performed repeatedly on stage with precision and discipline. Eng said, “Just like the New York State government, we need dedication. As an Asian Irish step dancer, I have that dedication and will provide it to all of Boys State.”

In addition, seven justices were elected as Court of Appeals nominees. They were Roosevelt’s Anthony Zhang (#0005), McKneally’s Nat Gale (#0093), Kogutek’s Christopher Galante (#0159), Scheiberling’s John Park (#0385), Wong’s Bradley Chen (#0508), Spafford’s Muhammad Ahmad (#0651), and Troiola’s Edward Flores Medina (#0713). Ahmad was named the Chief Justice nominee, declaring, “I don’t get lucky. I make my own luck.”

Finally, Ryan Scriven (#0271) announced the party platform. Split into three sections, the platform focuses on the budget, energy and innovation, and personal liberties. The committee argued for cutting back on unnecessary spending to fund education; relief for vulnerable groups; combatting homelessness, especially amongst veterans; and tackling substance abuse. It laid out its vision for a sustainable future where expansions in renewable energy bring well-paying jobs to the state and combat climate change. Finally, it proposed lowering the drinking age to eighteen to better align with the minimum age of military service and emphasized tirelessly defending the First Amendment.

The candidates from the Nationalist Party will compete against the Federalist slate on Monday. From there, a government will be chosen and legislative sessions will be held to pass laws for the state.