In an eye-opening victory over the weekend, Texas Congressman Ron Paul took an amazing 20 out of 24 delegates up for grabs based on congressional districts. Another 13 Minnesota delegates will be awarded based on a state convention in May.
Report from the Daily Caller:
Minnesota will send 40 delegates to the Republican National Convention. Twenty of the 24 delegates based on congressional districts were awarded to Texas Rep. Ron Paul in selection processes that concluded this weekend.
Thirteen Minnesota delegates will be allocated based on the results of a statewide convention in May, according to Paul campaign senior adviser Doug Wead.
Wead wrote on his blog that GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney is an a “panic” after the Paul landslide. Similar efforts to bolster the Texas congressman’s delegate count are underway in Iowa, Colorado, Maine and other states.
“[A] number of Romney Hawks are now deeply concerned that Ron Paul has already laid the groundwork for similar success in six more caucus states,” Wead wrote.
Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul declined to comment on the record about whether or not Romney is indeed in a panic.
This is why the delegate count is purely “speculative” at this point since many delegates haven’t been tied to a particular candidate yet. With intense organization on the ground, Paul can certainly make an impact in these types of situations where the delegates are being finalized. The hurdle for Romney will be whether Gingrich and Paul can essentially siphon off enough delegates to keep the 1,144 number out of Romney’s reach before the primaries end.
