SPARKS, Nev. (KRNV & MyNews4.com) – The Ron Paul supporters got what they came for.
“They took control of the convention through sheer numbers. They followed the rules, they got their people out here,” says News 4 Political Host, Anjeanette Damon.
Even though it kept delegates in the convention hall until midnight and people counting the ballots had to pull an all-nighter, Ron Paul supporters were elected to 22 of the 25 national delegate spots.
“There’s finally some closure. We have a full slate of elected delegates and alternates. So I’m happy to be sending those delegates to Tampa,” says Ron Paul’s Nevada Campaign Chairman, Carl Bunce.
But even though the majority of Nevada’s delegation will be made up of Ron Paul loyalists, under party rules, they’re going to be required to vote for Mitt Romney. 20 will vote for Romney and eight for Paul because they are bound to follow the results of the caucus.
“I can’t vouch for everyone. All I know is the campaign has followed the process, followed the rules to this point, to elect these delegates from Nevada. So all we can do is move forward and see what happens,” says Bunce.
But do his supporters think it’s realistic that Ron Paul will become the Republican nominee for President? I asked James Smack, the newly elected committeeman, who also happens to be a Ron Paul supporter, what he thinks.
So what do Paul’s supporters hope to accomplish?
“They will be able to have influence on things like platform and rules and resolutions on the national level. So it’s going to be spreading the Ron Paul message of liberty the Republican National Convention,” says Smack.
I asked republican power player, Sharron Angle, about how she thinks this convention compared to the chaotic one in 2008.
“Well in 2008, we had the lights turned out and we didn’t complete the convention. So this was a complete improvement on that, being able to complete the business in an orderly way,” says Angle.
