exas is a big prize—155 delegates. It would be a major setback to Romney if he lost most of them. The Texas GOP apparently feels the need to stack attendance at its district conventions in an attempt to stop Paul’s supporters.
Senior executive editor Paul Burka reports for the Texas Monthly,
This e-mail went out to party regulars over the signature of Bill Crocker, Republican national committeeman:
Please plan to attend the SD [Senate District] conventions next Saturday and bring all your friends. We need to be sure we are not overwhelmed by the Ron Paul people, who still want to send a list of all Ron Paul people to the state convention.
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Obviously, the Republican hierarchy is worried about this. If the Ron Paul forces are really organizing a takeover of the Senate District conventions — and Bill Crocker seems to be worried that this is what they are doing — there could be a statewide fight for control of the Republican Party of Texas. How realistic this threat is, and what it might mean, is unclear at the moment, but it is certainly one more example of the cracks and fissures that divide the state GOP. If the lack of a meaningful presidential primary saps the enthusiasm of Republican voters, and cuts into attendance at the local conventions, the Ron Paul threat could get very serious indeed.
