NDGOP’s National Delegate Selection Sparks Controversy At Convention

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Written By:
Rob Port

Mar 31, 2012
7:26am

So far the most interesting development at the NDGOP convention has to do with the selection of the state party’s national delegates who would help pick the presidential nominee at the national convention.

You readers will remember that, on caucus night, Rick Santorum cleaned the state up by a significant margin with Ron Paul taking second and Mitt Romney taking third. But it didn’t seem that anyone remembered that when picking the state’s delegates, because I’m told that despite finishing third in statewide voting, Mitt Romney was allotted 60% of the delegates. Rick Santorum got the second most delegates, and Ron Paul was given just a couple.

Not surprisingly, Santorum and Paul supporters aren’t happy, and I’m told may make an issue out of on the floor of the convention today.

North Dakota’s caucus voting isn’t a binding vote. The party does not have to apportion delegates according to the caucus outcome, nor do the delegates have to abide by that outcome. But party officials did say that the caucus vote matters. NDGOP Chairman Stan Stein said delegates would be asked to “use [the caucus vote] as a guideline for their voting.”

Clearly, that wasn’t a true statement. If this is how the NDGOP runs things, why bother even holding a caucus?