Republicans Kick Off Storm-Hit Convention

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney flew to Tampa on Tuesday to join fellow Republicans seeking to put their shortened convention in the spotlight and prevent his message from being drowned out by a hurricane bearing down on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Finally kicking off festivities after the storm threat delayed the convention’s start by a day, delegates were poised to affirm Romney as the party’s nominee in an evening capped by prime-time speeches by his wife, Ann, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.