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View Full Version : Paul leads GOP pack for delegate applicants




qwerty
12-27-2007, 02:50 AM
More than 100 Tennesseans picked up petitions to be delegates for U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, at next September's Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, more than for any other presidential candidate, records show.

Jesse Benton, a spokesman for Rep. Paul's campaign, said the numbers reflect the enthusiasm of Paul supporters.

"Our supporters are energized more than in any other campaign," he said.

The second largest group of Tennessee applicants, 74, asked to be committed to former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romey had 72 applicants in Tennessee, according to a list of petitions issued by the Tennessee Division of Elections.

Delegates from all 50 states attend national conventions to officially select presidential nominees.

Karen Hanretty, a spokeswoman for the Thompson campaign, said Tennessee Republicans are familiar with the former senator's record and want to be delegates from his home state.

"It's also a clear sign of our organizational effort," she said.

Among the Thompson applicants were Weston Wamp, son of U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn, and Oscar Brock, who ran this year to fill the state Senate seat formerly held by Sen. Ward Crutchfield, D-Chattanooga.

The candidate who had the most Hamilton County applicants was former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, with 11. Mr. Thompson had four Hamilton County applicants and Rep. Paul had five.

Ms. Hanretty said deciphering the meaning of the number of Ron Paul applicants could be difficult.

"It's been an anomaly," she said of the Paul campaign.

Mr. Benton said grassroots support has been the source of the enthusiasm.

Randy Stamps, state director of the Tennessee Republican Party, said the party welcomes the grassroots and Internet support the Paul campaign has spurred. He said much of the interest has come from people new to the party.

But Mr. Stamps also said part of the reason for the high number of delegate applicants for Paul may have been a "not very centralized" campaign.

State Election Coordinator Brook Thompson said campaigns often line up who they want to apply for delegate positions beforehand.

"Some of the campaigns were more organized than others," he said.

Each campaign can select six delegate candidates per congressional district to appear on the Feb. 5 primary ballot. GOP voters may then vote for three delegate candidates from their congressional district.

Each of Tennessee's nine congressional districts will send three delegates to the national convention. The candidates whose delegates go to the convention will depend on the outcome of the presidential primary vote.

Voters also will elect 12 at-large delegates and the party's State Executive Committee will appoint 13 more, for 55 total delegates from Tennessee.

Unlike Republicans, Tennessee Democrats will not select the delegates for their 2008 convention in Denver on the primary ballot. Instead, most of the Democrats' 59 delegates will be selected at congressional district conventions on Feb. 23.


http://www.timesfreepress.com/absolutenm/templates/local.aspx?articleid=27437&zoneid=77






BECOME A DELEGATE NOW!!!!!!

Yom
12-27-2007, 02:57 AM
http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=65966