Odenton Man in Tampa for GOP Convention

In 2008, Odenton resident Chuck Gast took a break from his work at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN to help put together care packages for victims of Hurricane Gustav down south.

History seems to be repeating itself as Republicans have altered their convention schedule in Tampa this week due to the presence of Hurricane Issac in the Gulf of Mexico.

But the show will go on this week and Gast, a longtime Republican leader in Maryland, will be representing the state as a delegate on the convention floor.

Gast left for Tampa more than a week ago, helping to serve on a committee to set things up. He'll be there all week as he lends his support to the certain Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney.

Gast said he's been a supporter of Romney's all along, even supporting the former Massachusetts governor during the primary election in 2008.

“I was just very impressed with him personally," Gast said. "He’s a strong man of character, and a strong man on his beliefs.”

He also said he liked Romney's choice of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), chairman of the house budget committee, as a running mate. 

"When it comes down to it, the issue was and will be the economy," he said. "With Ryan and Romney you have a strong team that understands the fiscal environment in the United States and ways to fix what is going on.”

Gast earns a living as an agent for State Farm. He is married and has one son.

The stereotypical image of a political convention delegate is often one of an exuberant man wearing a silly hat, wacky glasses and a horde of political buttons. Gast said he's much more low-key in his support of the party. He got his start working for Newt Gingrich in 1991, and moved up in the party ranks, eventually serving as chairman of the Republican Central Committee in Anne Arundel County and vice chairman of the Republican party in Maryland.

But despite his experience, he admitted to getting a rush during the 2008 convention.

"To walk on that convention floor for the first time is an experience I’ll never forget," he said. "The atmosphere, the electricity, each speech building on the next.”

Gast said his favorite moment was the speech from vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who spoke powerfully and without a teleprompter.

Though the 2008 election was a pivotal one, Gast said this upcoming election is even bigger.

"I think the stakes are quite a bit higher," he said. "We’ve seen the dismantling of the country as we knew it. I believe President Obama is moving us toward the European style and taking away some of the freedoms we had.”

And despite operating in a Democratic-leaning state, Gast said he's not ready to place Maryland in the "blue" column in November.

"Most people are writing off Maryland at this point. I haven’t entirely done that," he said. "If you talk to anybody out there, nobody is happy. I see Maryland as a small version of the United States right now. With our social programs and our taxing policies and everything else, I see what’s happening federally in Maryland.”