Tropical Storm Isaac forces Joe Biden to skip Tampa stop
Vice President Joe Biden had hoped to steal some of the Republicans’ thunder by parachuting into Tampa on Monday at the start of the GOP national convention — but he has been stymied by a real storm.
President Obama’s reelection campaign announced late Friday that Biden was postponing his scheduled trip to Tampa “due to disaster preparedness and local security concerns” related to Tropical Storm Isaac, which passed over Haiti on Friday and was bearing down on Cuba on Saturday morning.
“This change in schedule is being taken out of an abundance of caution to ensure that all local law enforcement and emergency management resources can stay focused on ensuring the safety of people who might be impacted by the storm, as well as those attending the activities in Tampa,” the campaign said in a statement.
PHOTOS: Following Isaac’s path
The National Weather Service said Saturday morning that Isaac was expected to whip into a full-fledged hurricane on Sunday and reach the Florida Keys late Sunday night into early Monday morning.
Forecasters are currently predicting Isaac will veer west, skirting Tampa and directly hitting Alabama and Georgia. But the storm is expected to create tropical storm conditions on Monday as Republican delegates gather for the first day of the convention.
Twitter: @mateagold
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