Alaska News

Ron Paul reaches delegate deal with national GOP

Ron Paul has reached a deal with the Republican National Convention over delegates he accumulated during this spring's contentious primaries, the New York Times reports.

Under the deal -- crafted with "mutual respect and professionalism" between the Paul and Romney campaigns -- delegates pledged to Paul will be split up in a few states where he did well. The Times reports the deal was confirmed by the national GOP.

Paul was satisfied with additions to the party platform, including language that calls for auditing the Federal Reserve. A GOP spokesperson acknowledged that libertarian-leaning conservatives had crafted a voting bloc that could not be ignored by the national party.

Here in Alaska, Paul had been widely expected to win the Republican presidential caucus. He ended up tied for second place with Rick Santorum, at 7 delegates apiece, behind Mitt Romney. Afterward, Paul supporters voiced frustration with the process. However, they may have gotten the last laugh when, in April, they mounted a successful takeover of the state's Republican Party leadership.

The deal, according to the Times, clears "the way for a harmonious convention to nominate Mitt Romney next week in Tampa, Fla." Read more.

Craig Medred

Craig Medred is a former writer for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch and Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2015.

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