Tampa, Florida (CNN) - The Republican National Convention has cancelled the program's first day due to Tropical Storm Isaac, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus announced Saturday.
The convention will convene on Monday and then immediately recess until the following afternoon, Priebus said in a statement.
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"Due to the severe weather reports for the Tampa Bay area, the Republican National Convention will convene on Monday August 27th and immediately recess until Tuesday afternoon, August 28th," Priebus said. "After consulting with Governor Scott, NOAA and local emergency management officials, we are optimistic that we will begin an exciting, robust convention that will nominate the Romney-Ryan ticket."
Vice President Joe Biden had announced plans to campaign in Tampa on Monday and elsewhere on Florida on Tuesday. On Friday evening, the Obama-Biden campaign cancelled his Monday events, and Saturday, the campaign announced cancellation of his Tuesday plans.
GOP officials expect 50,000 people to attend the convention where Mitt Romney will officially accept his party's presidential nomination and make the final turn to the November election.
The delay was brought about because Isaac is expected to be west of Tampa in the Gulf of Mexico early Monday morning – the first day of the weeklong event.
Isaac was forecast to bring rain and wind to the Tampa area on Monday and Tuesday and was expected to increase in intensity and become either a Category 1 or 2 hurricane as it passed west of Tampa in the Gulf of Mexico.
Before the RNC announcement, Florida's Republican Governor Rick Scott announced that he was cancelling his activities at the convention but would remain in Tampa to monitor and coordinate the state's response to the storm.
Wind gusts in Tampa were recorded at 30 mph on Saturday afternoon.
As the convention and storm approached, RNC and government officials stressed their preparedness. "I declared a state of emergency for the state of Florida," Scott told reporters Saturday morning. "That's standard protocol to make sure we can coordinate our efforts with federal, state, and local so we can have the proper response."
On CNN's "Starting Point" Thursday, RNC communications director Sean Spicer said the convention had "contingency plans to deal with weather-related and other circumstances that may occur to ensure that the business can go on at the RNC and Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will become our nominees."
Officials were speaking with and distributing pamphlets to delegates and other guests as they checked into the over 15,000 area hotel rooms which had been booked, and encouraged those for whom this would be their first hurricane to be careful.
On Saturday afternoon, the storm had sustained winds of 60 mph with 70 mph gusts.
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I am just curios, does Mitt Romney donate 10% of his salary to the mormon church?? and if so, does that mean that if he becomes president, he will continue doing so, so in other words, – all taxpayers are paying into the mormon church???
I think that god is showing his/her anger at the backwardness of the Republican Party. They are unwilling to feed the hungary, clothe the naked, visit the imprisioned etc. LOL LOL LOL
I predict that because of their acceptance of a radical agenda, God will punish the republicans with hurricanes in Florida.....oh wait, that's what Jerry Falwell said about Disney World and accepting gay people.....if hurricanes are the meter of God's favor for a political party's agenda, it's not looking good for the GOP.
After all the cooler air blows thru with the hurricane all that hot air fom the gop will blow back in!! Two conventions in a row a hurricane has hit. It must be a sign from god that he hates republicans! Hahaha
Let's just call the whole thing off.
God has smote them.
Act of God?
If I were Isaac, I'd be afraid of all the hot wind coming out of Tampa, and cancel my hurricane.
What is the GOP waiting for? Tod Akin and everyone else knows that Tampa has ways of shutting down "legitimate" hurricanes
Luckily nothing actually happens at the convention and it's a gigantic campaign ad that could be staged in any film studio in the country, so this doesn't matter at all.
It is a sign from God GOP.
It's God's way of telling them to all go home and read the bible, instead of having some thick-headed televangelist tell them what it means.
Act of God
Gee what a shame! Does that mean Two Cadillac Ann won't be speaking? I thought they had an alternate plan??
Cowards. You want to lead our country? SHOW LEADERSHIP. Go out and fill sandbags. Reach to the community. Volunteer at a shelter, do something, ANYTHING other than promote or help yourselves and maybe, just maybe, you'll show... and learn... what it means to be a real American. Hell, the storm isn't even that severe...
I don't think the good Lord could make himself more clear about where he stands on the GOP.
Who was the knucklehead who planned the GOP convention to be in Florida in August?
Could we have a story as to what the speculation is as to where it's actually going to make landfall as a hurricane on the gulf coast?
There is something bigger here happening beyond the convention, no offense.
Did anyone else hear that Rush Limbaugh has accused NOAA of celebrating the hurricane because they are Obama's boys? I never would have believed it if I hadn't heard the goof say that myself, but he did! What a child.
What does Pat Robertson have to say about this? Is it a "sign?".
If there be gods ... the gods are angry at GOP
Obviously God is giving the GOP a message but as usual, none of them will listen. Hint: "Give it up, GOP, your time is long past."
You should be reporting on the delegates supporting Ron Paul being ejected from their seats at the convention.
Bad omen for GOP. Curse and curse. The storm will continue to pound in Rhe convention. They may not have any convention for all you know.
They could cancel the whole thing and no one would notice.