Fun stuff in the Louisiana Rep. caucus

D-Dogg · January 23rd, 2008, 02:15 PM

From all I'm gathering, my boy Paul had the majority of supporters in all 7 of their US house districts for the delegate voting, and a slate was created called the Pro-Life/Pro-Family group, basically supporting the delegates for all of the other candidates.

This group won 2 of the districts outright, but the other 5 have several provisional votes being verified that if accurate, would give Paul the victories in those districts. Most of the alternate delegates are Paul delegates as well.

There is another group of delegates that would become committed only if someone gets 51% of the vote there in the Feb 9th "beauty contest" voting.

The provisionals are still being verified, so nobody knows if Paul actually won those districts yet. Currently he is running behind McCain, but most of the provisionals are votes for his delegates...how many are actual is up for debate...also, their voter roles only were updated to Nov 1.

It is very wacky stuff...and completely unreal...right now Paul is 3rd behind McCain and the PL/PF group, but could win even more delegates for the state convention (which selects national convention delegates).

The PL/PF group handed out fliers with the delegates names (from the other GOP candidates, a lot for Fred Thompson who dropped out) with Ronald Reagan and Nancy that said "win one for the Gipper." I'm trying to find a scan on that.

I so wish I were part of one of these caucuses...they sound like a riot and in this LA one, it sounds like some deft maneuvering was involved.

LAGOP press release:

Quote:

More than 10,000 Republican voters met at 11 locations around Louisiana to choose delegates to the 2008 Louisiana Republican Convention, which will elect nearly all of Louisiana’s delegates to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“Preliminary results show that a majority of the 105 state convention delegates who have been elected ran on a statewide pro-life uncommitted slate,” Villere said. “I congratulate the candidates and supporters of this group on their victory and look forward to working with them to keep our Party platform pro-life at the state and national conventions,” he said.

Delegate candidates endorsed by US Senator John McCain (R-AZ) appear to have won more state convention delegate positions than any other presidential slate at the Louisiana Caucuses.

“I offer my congratulations Senator John McCain on his success in the Louisiana caucuses,” Villere said. “Senator McCain is an American hero and this is further evidence that he enjoys strong support in Louisiana and throughout the South,” he said.

Supporters of Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) appear to have captured the next highest number of delegate positions.

“I applaud the supporters of Congressman Paul for their enthusiasm and superior organizational ability,” Villere said. “Our Party needs the infusion of new activists who have both political skill and a passion for protecting the freedoms guaranteed to us by the Constitution,” he said. “I left the caucus with a renewed commitment to promote our core Republican principles of limited government and individual freedom, thanks to the zeal displayed by Congressman Paul’s Louisiana supporters,” Villere said.

In addition to the uncommitted delegates and McCain and Paul supporters, Governor Mitt Romney appears to have won a handful of state convention delegates.

“Governor Romney and his team have worked hard for over a year in Louisiana to build a strong organization,” Villere said. “The Governor has been to Louisiana more than any other GOP candidate, including one trip specifically to appear at a state party fundraising dinner,” he said. “Governor Romney has shown a commitment to Louisiana that is second to none and the strong support he has here is an indication that Louisiana Republicans are excited about his candidacy,” Villere said.

Results from Louisiana’s Republican caucuses and the informal designation of a “winning slate” are preliminary for two reasons. First, about 500 individuals who attended the event were not shown to be registered Republicans on voter rolls. These individuals were allowed to cast “provisional ballots,” which are not included in the current candidate tallies on the Party’s website, www.lagop.com. State Party staffers are currently working with Registrars of Voters across the state to confirm with certainty the eligibility of each candidate. Party rules allow anyone registered as Republican as of November 30, 2007 to have voted last evening. The ballots of those who are found eligible will be added to totals and the outcomes of some races in Districts 1,2,4,5 and 6 could possibly be affected.

D-Dogg · January 23rd, 2008, 02:34 PM

http://www.gatortesting.net/prolifeprofamily/

Found their flyer....clever cats....

D-Dogg · January 24th, 2008, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Ron Paul Campaign to Louisiana GOP: Count All the Votes
January 24, 2008 4:12 pm EST

State party blunders put caucus results in question

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – Today, the Ron Paul presidential campaign calls on the Republican Party of Louisiana to count all the ballots submitted in the state’s January 22 caucus.

“The failure of the Louisiana GOP to properly determine who was and wasn’t eligible to vote threw this entire process into disarray,” said Ron Paul campaign manager Lew Moore. “The party needs to correct this mistake by counting all the votes immediately, and releasing the results.”

Due to mistakes by the Louisiana GOP, hundreds of voters were forced to file provisional ballots, including nearly 500 that could change the outcome of the election. According to party officials, caucus locations relied on a voter list from November 1, 2007 despite the fact that under caucus rules, voters must have registered Republican by November 30, 2007. The Louisiana Secretary of State reports that 2,709 Louisiana residents registered as Republican between November 1, 2007 and November 30, 2007.

In multiple instances, state-certified Ron Paul delegates that were on the ballot were forced to file a provisional ballot despite the fact they were pre-approved as delegates.

The Louisiana State GOP also changed the rules at the last minute to allow other candidates to file more delegates. At the time of the original January 10 deadline, Ron Paul had the largest number of delegates pledged to him. The party then changed the rules to give other candidates until January 12 to file more delegates.

###

RP campaign getting impatient here. He probably wants to claim a win, if it is there, during the debates.

Pariah · January 24th, 2008, 01:41 PM

Quote:

The Louisiana State GOP also changed the rules at the last minute to allow other candidates to file more delegates. At the time of the original January 10 deadline, Ron Paul had the largest number of delegates pledged to him. The party then changed the rules to give other candidates until January 12 to file more delegates.

I'm no conspiracy theorist, but this sure seems fishy. Remember a few weeks ago when we all laughed at the notion that the GOP is afraid of Ron Paul? doesn't seem so funny now.