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The story of Day 1 at the GOP convention was Ron Paul.

Will his supporters command headlines on Day 2?

Here's the current status. As of 8 p.m. Saturday night, the food for the dinner is out and ready, but some counties are still voting on delegates. Scott Romney, brother of Mitt, is scheduled to be the keynote speaker. Under ideal conditions, his speech would have been over by now.

But today did not go as planned for the party, which saw huge numbers of Ron Paul supporters show up, many of them for their first GOP convention. The day started almost an hour late because of the big crowd. Electing a secretary to the convention took more than an hour.

The word is that the delegate voting will take place tonight, but results won't be announced until tomorrow. It will be a late night for those who have to stay up counting paper ballots by hand, especially since each delegate can vote to send 15 people to the national convention.

The platform, which is not expected to draw a fight this year, will be taken up tomorrow. That's when the full slate of delegates is to be announced, Gov. Paul LePage speaks and so does retiring Sen. Olympia Snowe.

Paul supporters emphasized today they had three goals: elect a chairman (they did), get 13 delegates (we'll find out tomorrow) and get Ron Paul a speaking slot at the national convention. They are organized and motivated. They certainly haven't forgotten the February caucuses where Romney was declared the winner, even though Washington County had not yet voted and there were numerous mistakes in other ballot tallies.

So, will they steal the show tomorrow? Steve and I will keep you updated on the latest.

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Open Season targets all of Maine's political wildlife, from Portland city government to the donkeys, elephants and independents stalking the Statehouse and U.S. Capitol.

John Richardson joined the Press Herald in 1990 after working as a reporter in New Jersey. He has covered a variety of beats, including marine issues, the environment and health care. He is now covering politics and focusing on Maine's U.S. Senate race.
John can be reached at 791-6324 or jrichardson@pressherald.com
On Twitter: @jrichmaine

Colin Woodard has covered politics and elections for more than two decades, from Bosnia and Bucharest to Washington, D.C., Augusta, and Portland City Hall. He has written for a wide range of national and international publications and is the author of four books, including "American Nations," a history of North America's regional cultures. He joined the Portland Press Herald at the end of April and covers political finance and lobbying, among other things.
Colin can be reached at 791-6317 or cwoodard@pressherald.com

Susan Cover has covered Maine politics for 10 years and worked in Kansas, Ohio and Rhode Island as a reporter. This year, she is focusing on covering the same-sex marriage debate for MaineToday Media.
Susan can be reached at 621-5643 or scover@mainetoday.com

Michael Shepherd joined MaineToday Media in May 2012 after graduating from the University of Maine in Orono, where he edited The Maine Campus, the student newspaper there. Until November he'll be writing the Truth Test, a recurring feature analyzing political statements and advertising.
Michael can be reached at 621-5632 or mshepherd@mainetoday.com

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