A floor flight will likely be avoided this week at the Republican National Convention due to a last-minute compromise with supporters of Rep. Ron Paul. But the GOP isn’t exactly giving in.
Republican National Committeeman James Bopp tells ABC News that the GOP has finally worked out a deal with the delegates descending on Tampa this week for the party’s pre-election convention. If a delegate is bound to represent Rep. Paul (R-Texas), says Bopp, they will be able to do so on the convention floor. Voting for another candidate, however, will come with some harsh penalties.
Supporters of Rep. Paul have been at war with the GOP establishment in recent weeks over, in part, fears that they would not be able to endorse the congressman in lieu of presumptive party nominee Mitt Romney. Organizers of the RNC had feared that the dispute would lead to a floor flight at the convention, but Bopp now says that that delegates in Tampa will be able to show their support for the candidate of their choice, as long as they have been bound to that candidate during their local nominating contests.
The Republican Party had planned to introduce a rule that would have effectively allowed presidential candidates to choose their own delegates. Bopp now confirms this week that a compromise has settled the dispute, and that delegates will be allowed to endorse the candidate of their choice.
