Republican Party officials said that the start of their national convention is delayed until Tuesday due to severe weather expected as Tropical Storm Isaac barrels toward the Florida coast.
'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,' Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement.
US weather forecasters have warned that Isaac, which has already killed at least two people as it battered Haiti, could be at or near hurricane strength when it brushes the Florida Keys archipelago and the southern Florida peninsula on Sunday.
But Priebus said that after consulting with weather, state and local officials, he was 'optimistic that we will begin an exciting, robust convention.'
The move echoed a similar scenario in 2008, when Republicans canceled nearly all of their programming on the first day of their convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota due to Hurricane Gustav.
The 2012 convention had initially been set to run Monday through Thursday.
Republican officials expect 50,000 people to descend on Tampa for speeches, parties and the formal nomination of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney to take on President Barack Obama in November 6 elections.
The convention's president and CEO Bill Harris said the safety of all participants was the 'foremost concern' of organizers.
'Our chief priority is the safety of the residents of Florida, of those visiting the Convention and all those in Gulf Coast states who may be impacted by Tropical Storm Isaac,' he said.
'Federal, state and local officials assure us that they are prepared to respond, if needed, and the scheduling changes we are announcing today will help ensure the continued safety of all participants -- our foremost concern.'
Priebus warned that convention participants could face 'severe transportation difficulties' due to strong winds and heavy rains from Isaac.
Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican, declared a state of emergency on Saturday but insisted it was a 'normal step' ahead of any storm and that the convention would go ahead as planned.
'We are going to have a great convention,' he told reporters.
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, a Democrat, had sought to calm jitters about the weather, saying the storm might bring heavy rain to Tampa on the first day of the four-day convention but would be followed by sunny skies.
'There may be wet shoes, but every day after Monday ought to be fine,' Buckhorn told Fox News before the Republicans announced the one-day delay to the start of the convention proper.
Vice President Joe Biden has canceled a trip to Tampa and other Florida cities because of the approaching storm.
'This change in schedule is being taken to ensure that all law enforcement and emergency management resources across the state can continue their focus on ensuring the safety of those who might be impacted by the storm,' Obama's Democratic campaign said.
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