Paul will have more than 100 bound delegates to the convention in Tampa and hundreds more Paul supporters have won slots as pledged Romney delegates at the convention, forcing them to support Romney — but freeing them to cheer for the libertarian and his cause. Paul supporters at state conventions have gone as far as booing one of Romney’s sons, and shouting down elected officials who back his cause, and Republicans fear they could turn what is usually a carefully-staged infomercial into a chaotic zoo.
Paul’s campaign, which hopes to give him a platform and to install his son, Rand, as a major figure in the party, aims to restrain his rowdiest supporers. Training the delegates hasn’t started yet, though the campaign expects to begin communicating with them later this spring.
“We haven’t finalized details of it,” the strategist said. “One of the things we’ve talked about is what kid of training are we going to have, the communications process, who will be the people on the floor. By the middle of June we’ll know who the people are who will be in Tampa. We’ll have programs in place, conference calls, regular contact with people who are leaders within delegations. We’ll have regular communications with them, both electronic and other.”
