Ohio delegates kick off convention festivities in Tampa while bracing for Isaac

TAMPA, Florida - The air conditioning was cranking inside the Mainsail Hotel and Conference Center Sunday in Tampa but many of the Ohio Republican delegation could be found outside taking advantage of the tropical breezes before the worst of Tropical Storm Isaac moved into the region.

"People are keeping a wary eye on the storm," said Cuyahoga County Republican Chair Rob Frost. "Some people are coming in a little earlier, some are coming a little later but everyone's gonna get on down here."

Count Jeff Dean of Chagrin Falls among them, he arrived Friday. "Just a question of hunkering down until maybe Tuesday or Wednesday." Living in the snow belt he said prepares him. "Coming from Cleveland we can handle just about anything."

The delegation heard from Ohio Treasurer and U.S. Senate Candidate Josh Mandel who spoke of the importance of Ohio. It comes as a new Columbus Dispatch poll released Sunday showed his race with U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown a statistical dead heat.

"If you look at the polls in Ohio everything is tight, the presidential race is tight, the senate race is tight and I think once again Ohio will determine the balance of the U.S. Senate and the White House," Mandel said.

With Monday's opening day events canceled the delegates will gather at their hotel in the morning to hear from speakers including U.S. Senator Rob Portman. After that they'll weather out the storm from the hotel.

"We'll have a hurricane party," joked Ohio Republican Chairman Bob Bennett. "Most of the midwest and people from Ohio probably haven't been in a hurricane party so we'll have a good time," he said.