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In order to have his name submitted as a nominee and speak at the convention in Tampa, Congressman Paul would have needed to earn a plurality of delegates in at least five primaries. He fell one state short of that.
Brandon Rottinghaus is an Associate Professor of political science at the University of Houston. He says the Mitt Romney campaign and GOP convention organizers could leave Paul completely out of the gathering, but they probably won’t.
“I think that they feel like they need to have the energy of the individuals who are more sort-of Tea Party affiliates. And, so, I actually think that you may actually see Ron Paul with a small spot at the convention at a somewhat noticeable time.”
But Rottinghaus says the speech won’t be in prime time. Paul’s remarks will probably be tightly edited and focused on a few narrow points. And whatever address Paul might deliver will likely come with one big string attached.
“An official, or almost official, endorsement of Mitt Romney. So, that, he wants to be able to talk about the issues he cares about and rally his supporters. But, also, the Romney campaign needs him to be able to help close ranks and pull those individuals back into the fold.”
Rottinghaus says if Paul can’t work out a deal to speak at the convention, his son, Rand, could deliver essentially the same message — as could Florida Governor Rick Scott, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio.
