Nevada alternate delegates take high seats at GOP convention

TAMPA, Fla. - Nevada delegates may have gotten back row seats on the floor of the Republican National Convention, but the Silver State's alternate delegates were sitting pretty.

The alternate delegates sat on the second level of the Tampa Bay Times Forum, nearly directly across the convention stage and just above and behind Mitt Romney's family box.

"The view's pretty good from here," alternate Nevada delegate Serene Goldstock said Thursday night. "We saw all the Romney sons walk right by to sit down."

Still, Goldstock said she enjoyed getting a turn to sit on the floor of the convention hall, where several thousand delegates and thousands more members of the media and staff walked around and sat elbow to elbow in the 20,000-seat arena.

"There's a real buzz down there," she said. "It's a great vibe."

The Nevada delegates were seated far to the left of the stage and in the back with only Rhode Island seated behind them.

"The alternate seating was in a good spot," said Heidi Smith, a Republican national committeewoman, who was seated on the floor Thursday night. "This was the other end of the stick, you might say."

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In Tampa, Nevada delegates for Ron Paul formed close relationships with their fellow rabble-rousers from other states such as Iowa, Minnesota, Maine, Oregon, Alaska and the Virgin Islands.

On Thursday, the last night of the Republican National Convention, Paul delegates from Nevada were exchanging state flag pins with other states as a sign of friendship and solidarity.

Jim Uprichard of Reno wore a "Remember Maine 2012" sign on his sleeve with a black ribbon.

"It's a symbol for the duly elected Maine delegates who didn't get seated by the RNC," Uprichard said. " We won't forget."

Uprichard said the Paul backers who failed to nominate the Texas congressman for president from the floor planned to stage a quiet protest at the convention Thursday.

Contact reporter Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919. Follow her on Twitter @lmyerslvrj.