Submitted by:
mazzy1221

---

---

Subscribe to this Author

---

Paste this code into your site to promote this story!
<a href="http://www.breakthematrix.com/2008-Elections/Paul-supporters-gear-up-for-GOP-state-meeting" onClick="document.images["breakTheMatrix"].src='http://www.breakthematrix.com/badge/badge.php?cid=9954';return false"><img name="breakTheMatrix" src="http://www.breakthematrix.com/badge/badge.php?cid=9954" border="0" /></a>

http://www.star-telegram.com/448/story/689193.html

AUSTIN -- Presumed Republican presidential nominee John McCain will have plenty of surrogates at the state GOP convention this week, like former rival Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

But supporters of Ron Paul want to make the most of his Texas home turf to promote his message, too, before thousands of GOP activists attending the convention in Houston.

Paul, a Lake Jackson Republican running for president and for re-election to Congress, won't have an official speaking role at the convention. He'll be introduced with others from Texas' congressional delegation.

"Let's make it clear to the world that Texas is RON PAUL COUNTRY!!" his campaign Web site proclaims. The Paul campaign also is advertising a "freedom rally and ice cream social" the first night of the convention.

The Republican Liberty Caucus will have a visible exhibit booth to stir interest in Paul.

"It's really kind of a rallying and recruiting point," said Don Zimmerman, an Austin area Republican who led a group that supported Paul's presidential run but wasn't directly affiliated with his campaign. He estimated about a third of the delegates attending the convention support Paul, even though McCain won the state's GOP primary.

Zimmerman, who describes himself as a "Barry Goldwater Republican" and has attended GOP state conventions for more than a decade, said the struggle between Paul supporters and other delegates at the Houston convention will be typical of minority-majority clashes that have occurred repeatedly at past Texas conventions.

"Ron Paul people are just principled people. They don't mind losing a fair fight," he said.

A vocal group of Republican activists coordinated by Paul supporter Debra Medina of Wharton County has taken a stand before the convention with a lawsuit against the Texas Republican Party to try to force the election of a chairman before convention business is conducted.

Read »

Created 23 weeks 4 days ago