Nebraska GOP convention pivotal for Ron Paul effort

Published Saturday, July 14, 2012 at 1:00 am / Updated at 10:12 am

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GRAND ISLAND, Neb. ? Chaos or civility?

That is the question today for Republicans as Ron Paul's forces battle Mitt Romney supporters at the Nebraska GOP State Convention in Grand Island.

About 336 county delegates are set to attend today's convention to choose 35 Republicans to represent Nebraska at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., where the party's presidential nominee will be crowned.

Romney has the presidential nomination all but sealed. However, Paul's supporters are trying to guarantee Paul a speaking role at the national convention, as well as flex their political muscle for future campaigns.

Nebraska is pivotal in that effort. Paul must win a plurality of national delegates in five states to be allowed to speak in Tampa. So far, he has won four. Nebraska, which is holding the nation's last GOP state convention, is Paul's final chance to win a majority of delegates in a fifth state.

Both sides say he has a shot.

Paul will need to win 18 of the state's 35 national delegates.

His forces have done a good job of organizing and turning out their supporters at county conventions to elect state delegates.

A big question mark for today's state convention is whether it will proceed in an orderly fashion or descend into mayhem similar to what happened in Louisiana, when Paul forces clashed with Romney supporters. That ended in screaming matches and arrests.

Nebraska Republican Party Chairman Mark Fahleson and Laura Ebke, the de facto leader of the Paul forces, issued a joint statement this week in which they both called on their respective sides to treat each other with civility.

Read more: Nebraska Republicans gird for convention rumble with Ron Paul backers

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Source: http://www.omaha.com/article/20120714/NEWS/120719828

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