Ron Paul supporters are preparing to come out strong at Idaho’s State Convention on Thursday, as they cling to hope that they can stage a major upset against Mitt Romney to secure enough delegates to make a splash at the GOP Convention in Tampa in August.
The Idaho Republican convention will be held from June 21-23 at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.
Here’s how it will work: Delegates will be obliged on the first ballot at the Republican National Convention to vote for the candidate who nominated them. However, if any delegates selected are representing the “uncommitted” choice, they wil be able to cast their vote for any candidate whose name is on the ballot. Paul supporters are hoping to capitalize on this exception to secure delegates for their candidate. (See the full by-laws here).
Ron Paul supporters are hoping to seize on their grassroots delegate strategy, in which they seek to swarm state conventions to win
delegates who will vote for Paul at the GOP Convention in Tampa, in order to make a splash in Idaho.Paul supporters have filed a lawsuit against the Republican National Committee and nearly every state party, including Idaho,
claiming they improperly helped Mitt Romney during the primaries while using intimidation and threat of violence towards them. While Paul does not support the lawsuit himself, his supporters are asking a federal court in California whether delegates attending the national convention can vote for any candidate they choose, even if they were won by Romney. The lawsuite was filed on June 11 by more than 100 people who are Ron Paul delegates.
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