The Republican Party has nominated Mitt Romney as its choice for presidential candidate and Paul Ryan as his running mate. Thursday, when Romney accepts, he will be officially declared the party's candidate for President of the United States.

After a one-day delay to the Republican National Convention because of Tropical Storm Isaac, the GOP began its program Tuesday afternoon and soon conducted the roll call of states. 

Romney received more than the 1,144 votes he needed to become the nominee, and Ryan was officially picked a short while later.

Romney watched on television with his wife, Ann, at a hotel suite across the street from the convention hall as the convention sealed his hard-won victories in the primaries and caucuses of last winter.

New Jersey put him over the top in a ritual roll call of the states.

There was little drama - Romney had the nomination wrapped up well before the convention, and Ryan was announced as his choice for vice president earlier this month. They'll face President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in the Nov. 6 general election.

A parade of convention speakers mocked Democratic President Obama mercilessly.

The Democratic president has "never run a company. He hasn't even run a garage sale or seen the inside of a lemonade stand," declared Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican Party.

To send Romney and ticketmate Paul Ryan into the fall campaign, the convention quickly approved a conservative platform that calls for tax cuts - not government spending - to stimulate the economy at a time of sluggish growth and 8.3 percent unemployment.

The convention hit full speed today after only concerns about Isaac wiped out Monday's schedule.

Information from the Associated Press was included in this report.

  • For a list of more speakers and schedule of events
  • You can count on us for complete Florida Decides coverage of the Republican National Convention in Tampa. In addition to live interviews and reports around the clock, we will have a special edition of Political Connections Tuesday - Thursday nights at 6:30 p.m. We will also have a wrap up of the speeches each night at 11 p.m.