Ron Paul won the GOP state convention in Utah's very strange neighbor to the west.

The Texas congressman's popularity in Nevada won't make a difference to John McCain's gaining the national party's nod, but it says much about the GOP in a state where gambling, Elvis weddings and fringe politics are the reigning passions.

University of Nevada political scientist Eric Herzik says:

The Nevada Republican Party was just ripe for this. Nevada doesn't have any strong leadership. And now, you've got this very vocal and fervent minority group, and there's nobody stepping up and saying 'McCain's our guy.'

In a final tribute to loopiness, Paul's success forced party leaders to abruptly recess the convention until an unknown date.