Missouri Delegates Help Romney Clinch Party's Nomination at RNC

TAMPA, Fla. -- Anticipation has ended in Tampa for what many delegates say they were waiting for all along: the roll call and chance to nominate the GOP presidential candidate. 

Forty-five Missouri delegates voted and named Mitt Romney and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan to headline the Republican ticket. Romney's nomination moves him one step further in his five-year quest for the White House.

Watch highlights from Tuesday's events, which included a speech by Ann Romney

Delegates also had business to take care of Tuesday, including making a decision on exactly when rules could be changed by the Republican National Committee. 

"We're going to have some fun, but we've got some business to do, " said delegate David Cole, Chairman of the Missouri Republican Party (video above). "Then next week we're gonna get back to Missouri and we're going to get to work to elect Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan."

The 2,200-plus convention delegates approved a conservative platform that called for less government, opposed same-sex marriage and endorsed a "human life amendment" to ban abortion with no specific exceptions for cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is threatened.

Romney Ryan will be formally nominated on Thursday, and Romney's acceptance speech that night will conclude the convention that had its agenda delayed by Hurricane Isaac, which hit Louisiana as early evening speakers addressed the delegates.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus launched the litany of attacks, saying that another term for Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will mean "four more years of failure."

KOLR10 News spoke with Rep. Billy Long live via satellite at the convention, where he says everyone is "fired up." Ha also briefly addressed the Todd Akin controversy.

"There's not too much to say. If you know Todd Akin, coming out publicly like a lot of people have and ask him to get out is probably the worst thing they could've done. I don't know if the last chapter has been written to that story yet. I hear rumors every day about what might happen there, but right now he's our nominee and whoever is on the ballot in November for us, I'm going to be supportive." 

Akin was not invited to the convention. Watch Rep. Long's entire interview here.