SPARKS, Nev. (KRNV & MyNews4.com) –If this clash of cheers is any indication, it was Mitt Romney supporters vs. Ron Paul's followers at Nevada's Republican Convention. Even Romney's son, Josh Romney, who spoke on behalf of his father, couldn't ignore the Paul presence in the room.
“I recognize Ron Paul is still in the race and working hard,” says Romney.
But things started to turn ugly, when a woman claims the Romney camp is passing out fake Ron Paul slates. The fake one is only printed on one side. And if you look closely, you can see that the name of Ron Paul's campaign chairman, Carl Bunce, is misspelled. One of the people who was allegedly passing out the fake slate, was escorted out by the sergeant of arms.
The next conflict erupted when Ron Paul supporters realized the rules weren't being upheld and more than 400 delegates were registered after the 9am deadline. Ron Paul's campaign chairman Carl Bunce explains why this is got him and his supporters so heated.
“People want to follow the rules. You got here after 9 and all of a sudden, you're a voting delegate. It kind of breaks the rules. I mean Ron Paul supporters get highly agitated when they see someone manipulate the rules or break them,” says Bunce.
Then the convention broke for lunch and the fights between Paul and Romney supporters ensued outside the convention hall. But luckily, the problem solved itself. When everyone returned from lunch, the Republican leaders admitted they had miscalculated the preliminary delegate totals.
Then came the moment most of the Paul supporters had been waiting for. Ron Paul approached the podium and delivered a 15 minute speech, touting his principals like peace.
“Why don't we go to war by following the constitution and not go to war unless it's a declared war,” says Paul.
Overall, it's fair to say, fears of another contentious republican convention here in the silver state, came true.
