TAMPA, Fla. - Mitt Romney's relentless drive to become the GOP candidate for president crossed the finish line today as the Republican National Convention bestowed its official nomination, setting the stage for an expected epic campaign to dislodge President Obama from the White House.
The former Massachusetts governor came one step closer to achieving his almost-lifelong goal at 5:40 p.m. when New Jersey cast its votes to give him the 1,144 delegates needed for the nomination. And though supporters of intra-party rival Ron Paul attempted one last symbolic effort on behalf of the Texas congressman, delegates inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum erupted in sustained cheers with New Jersey's vote - a sign this convention is very much united behind its 65-year-old standard bearer.
The declaration of an official nomination prompted the closest thing to an old-fashioned floor demonstration as House Speaker John A. Boehner declared "the honorable Mitt Romney of the state of Massachusetts [the winner] with 2,061 votes."
Romney's nomination, immediately followed by another vote - this one unanimous - naming Rep. Paul Ryan as the party's candidate for vice president, highlighted the GOP's first full convention day after Monday's initial opening session was truncated over safety concerns connected to Hurricane Isaac. It featured the traditional roll call (lasting 34 minutes) of the states and territories, each "proudly casting its votes in favor of the next president of the United States, Mitt Romney."
And it presented a long procession of congressional candidates and others (none from Western New York) using the podium for mini-speeches designed for publicity back home and the chance to denounce practically every aspect of the Obama administration.
The highlights of the night were expected to be speeches by Ann Romney and New Jersey Gov. Christie. Ann Romney was expected to appeal to women, especially after the latest Gallup poll shows her husband trailing the president by a 50 to 42 percent tally among women. She also was expected to humanize a candidate depicted as stiff and detached by some critics.
Christie was already being established as a media darling, as his speech was being anticipated almost as much as those of the nominees. In an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe program, the plain-speaking governor attracted dozens of photographers chronicling his every move.
Christie said during a round of morning show appearances that Ann Romney would humanize her husband for the nation and that his own speech would make the case for Romney's economic credentials. But ultimately, Christie said, it will up to Romney himself "to let the American people see who he is."
Meeting with Michigan delegates, Christie insisted that an effective president trumps likability.
"We need somebody who cares more about getting the job done than they care about being temporarily popular with any particular segment of our country," Christie said,
The nomination process featured a rare moment of Republican discord when Paul supporters loudly objected to a ruling from the podium accepting only a limited amount of Paul delegates from several states. Chants of "seat them now" and "point of order" erupted from the crowded floor.
"You didn't hear any of that from New York," Erie County Chairman Nicholas A. Langworthy quipped on the convention floor, noting all of the state's delegates remain pledged to Romney.
"It was really great to be part of the vote for the nomination of the president of the United States," he added. "It's just a wonderful expression of democracy."
And though the voice vote for Paul appeared almost equal to Romney's (thanks to non-voting supporters in the galleries), party officials on the podium quickly and efficiently ruled in favor of Romney.
Even as the party solidly lined up behind its new standard bearer, an air of uncertainty still hangs over the convention as Isaac barrels toward the Gulf Coast. Some Republicans fear an adverse political reaction could result from images of partying delegates juxtaposed against scenes of potential devastation in other southern states.
Romney, meanwhile, arrived in sweltering Tampa with his speech completed, according to senior aide Stuart Stevens, who helped craft the address.
"It'll be a clear vision of a Romney presidency, and very much from his heart about America, and why he wants to be president and what his presidency would be like," Stevens told reporters traveling on the plane that brought Romney and his wife to Tampa today.
Stevens said the speech, about 40 minutes long, also would criticize the current occupant of the White House.
"Overwhelmingly, a majority of Americans don't want to vote for this president. You see that over and over and over again," Stevens said. "It's still a choice. There will be an element of that."
Ann Romney and Christie were not the only major speakers at today's session. Other prominent speakers included Boehner, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Republican National Chairman Reince Priebus and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who mounted a strong but ultimately unsuccessful challenge to Romney during the primaries.
