Politics

Rand Paul tapped for Republican convention speech

Alex Pappas Political Reporter
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Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul will be among the top Republicans giving speeches at the Party’s National Convention in August, GOP officials announced Tuesday.

“I am honored to speak about our Republican vision for the future at the national convention in Tampa,” Paul said in a statement.

Paul’s selection as a speaker comes after months of speculation about what role he and his father, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, would have at the Tampa convention.

Paul — unlike his father, who ran for president this year — endorsed Romney after he won the primary and is said to have higher political ambitions in carrying the Paul family mantle forward.

“I believe Gov. Romney would help our country start a new path, where job creators are encouraged not punished, and where the size and scope of government are brought under control,” Paul said.

The Republican Party has not said yet whether Ron Paul will be giving a speaking role. But convention planners have assisted him with organizing a rally for his ardent supporters Aug. 26 at the University of South Florida’s Sun Dome.

In May, Jesse Benton, a top official in Ron Paul’s presidential campaign, said “the ball is in the court of the Republican Party and in the court of Mitt Romney” in terms of earning the support of Paul’s fans.

“If our people are treated with respect, if our ideas, their ideas, are embraced and treated seriously and treated with respect, I think the Republican Party has a very good chance of picking up a substantial number of their votes,” Benton said.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus also said Tuesday that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin will be addressing delegates sometime during the convention.

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