Next week, Republicans will gather for their national convention in Tampa, Florida to nominate Mitt Romney as their party's candidate for president. A Myrtle Beach city councilman will be among those dodging a tropical storm to be a part of it all.
Randal Wallace says he's done just about everything else in politics, but this will be his first trip to a national convention.
Wallace will only be an alternate delegate, which means he won't spend much time on the convention floor participating in official activities, but that hasn't dampened the enthusiasm of this political junkie. He says he'll keep his camera handy, as he rubs shoulders with some big-name political stars.
"George W. (Bush) might show up or Bob Dole, or who knows? Chris Christie from New Jersey or Nikki Haley. Just a laundry list of really stars who are rising in the Republican Party and they're all going to be there just wandering the floor," Wallace said.
Tropical Storm Isaac threatens to dampen and maybe even cancel some of the festivities, but Wallace doesn't seem concerned.
"Everything I'm seeing, the cone looks like it's going to move it out into the gulf and away from Tampa, so I'm figuring we're going to get the outer bands if anything."
It's been years since a national convention actually decided a party's nominee. This year, that matter was settled months ago.
But Wallace said conventions still matter, because it's when voters really start to pay attention to presidential candidates.
"This is where you get to see the positive sides of what they want to do and what their plans are, without it being shaded by all the negative ads that you're going to see when we get into the middle of October."
Wallace said the convention is what America is all about: a celebration of democracy and he can't wait to be there.
"I'm excited about it," he said. "This is the Super Bowl of politics, really."
As a fan of politics, Wallace said he will be glued to the TV to watch the Democratic convention, too, when that party meets in Charlotte starting September 3. But next week, Wallace will be in Tampa to have what he calls a front-row seat to history.
"The fun part of politics is going out there and watching them give those great speeches and doing the roll call of states and just all the stuff that is your chance to participate in picking the leader of the free world and leader of the country."
