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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God is interfering with the chosen ones' big butt kissing fest. LOL.
God has spoken GOP, he hates you too, that's 2 conventions in a row!
shame the whole thing can't be cancelled
Why God?
We (GOP) are your people, why didnt you do this to the Dems last year??
God Bless America
G od has spoken GOP, that's two conventions in a row!
If only the GOP had managed Hurricane Katrina response opposed to how they are selfishly preparing for Tropical Storm Isaac to keep the convention on track...
The lord has spoken GOP, he hates you too, that's 2 conventions in a row!
An act of the guy invented by humans in a relatively earlier stage of their development.
Hmmm... ok Christians, is this God delaying your convention? Lol.
Aww.... what a bunch of wimps!! Wahhh! Wahhhh It might rain and the wind might blow my umbrella away! Typical REP/GOP whips!
Clearly God does not favor Republicans.
Is Katrina still going to deliver the GOP key speech?
Perhaps God is upset at the Republicans' secret sodomies. This time flood, the fire next time. Romney, Ryan, retreat back to he ll.
funny how people on an earlier story that Biden cancelled his plans for monday by bashing him, now we have Fl Gov Scott cancelling plans and my party cancelling Monday's convention plans and there is total silence........I guess the right is busy trying to getnew flights or money back..........
"Convene and then immediately recess until the next day?" Why even bother 'convening' on Monday in the first place, then?
You've been crying about first day coverage then you cancel it anyway. Oh I get ABC set up the hurricane to destroy your event for Obama.
Do you think the Evangelicals may see this as a sign from above?
Never forget ..... Llast WH GOP gave us 9/11, two bogus unbudgeted wars, doubled national debt, replaced gold reserves with counterfeit tungsten core bars, let New Orleans folks drown for 6 days, and worse....
– see youtube: CIA Asset Susan Lindauer Can Now Speak 10 years after 9-11
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Even mother nature doesn't like the GOP.
2016 is not even mentioned on CNN. Always biased FOR Obama. We got your number, CNN. No wonder your network ratings are so low.
The should cancel the whole thing, all that is going to happen is one blow hard after another is going to spout lies in an effort to elect Robney, then he will proceed to eliminate the middle class. All I can say is pubs be careful what you wish for. A Robney presidency will mean the end to SSI, Medicare, Medicaid, and Public Education as we know it. More tax cuts for the 2% while the 98% get the bill. Unless you are a millionaire or better, Robney is not going to be in your best interest.
I find this amusing, but that is all. My heart goes out to the citizens of Tampa for being beset by not one but two unwelcome invasions, one of water and winds, and one of derp.
God would never do this to the repukes, after all, we all know they are his party. The question is " How did that pagan Obama set this up?" Got to be the work of the devil. or maybe Allah.
Chickens, Stand your ground weasels!
The tropical storm is God's way of saying He does not approve of Mitt Romney following the false prophet Joseph Smith.