With the Presidential contest close, Connecticut’s thirty delegates are becoming more and more valuable every day.  A quick glance over at the RealClearPolitics delegate count for the Republicans shows a tight race.  Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is in the lead, with 59 delegates, while Gov. Mike Huckabee has 40, and Sen. John McCain has 36.  Thompson has 5, Paul has 4, and Giuliani has 1.  A candidate will need 1191 delegates (50% + 1) in order to win the nomination at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis.

Connecticut has been allotted 30 delegates to the national convention by the Republican National Committee.  Per the State Party Bylaws, 27 of the delegates are bound to vote for whomever wins the Connecticut GOP Presidential Preference Primary on February 5th.  The three unbound delegates are Chairman Chris Healy, Republican National Committeeman John Frey, and Republican National Committeewoman Patricia Longo.  In Connecticut, the delegates are “winner-take-all”, meaning that all 27 will be obliged to vote for the primary winner on the first Convention ballot.

In the event that the Convention required more than one ballot, or if released by their candidate, delegates can vote for whomever they choose.