DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Ron Paul has given up on becoming president. Yet supporters still clinging to the slim-to-none hope of nominating the libertarian-leaning congressman could complicate Mitt Romney's goal of a peaceful GOP national convention.

Paul backers have been taking over state Republican conventions in places like Nevada and Maine and plan to do the same in Iowa on Saturday in their effort to carry his banner to the national convention in Tampa, Fla.

"We want to send Ron Paul-inspired folks to that convention to show we're not going away," says Iowa Republican David Fischer, a top Paul backer in the state.