With one eye on a big wind and another on what they hope will be a big win come November, more than 700 Texas Republicans and statewide elected officials began making their way to Tampa during the weekend for the party's quadrennial national convention.

While national party officials have acceded to the whims of Tropical Storm Isaac by postponing official activities until Tuesday, party delegates are scheduled to nominate their standard-bearers, showcase their candidates and hear from a rising Texas star, U.S. Senate nominee Ted Cruz.

They won't be hearing from Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who lost to Cruz in last month's GOP runoff and will not be attending, or from one of the state's shooting stars, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, whose presidential candidacy shone brightly for a season and then precipitously dimmed.

Perry, who has left the door open to run for a fourth full term as governor and is considering another White House bid, is likely to spend much of his time with the delegation. He is the delegation chairman.

The governor plans to focus on promoting the Romney-Ryan ticket and reconnecting with people he met on the presidential campaign trail, said spokeswoman Catherine Frazier.

"He has told Mitt Romney that he will do whatever he asks of him to help with the campaign effort," Frazier said.

Less clout

Perry, of course, envisioned a different convention role for himself when he launched his presidential campaign a year ago. Had he been successful, the Lone Star State would have shone more brightly, as well. It is, perhaps, telling that the state's assigned hotel is 25 miles from the convention site.

"We don't have quite the muscle we had in the past," said delegate Butch Davis, of Houston, "so now we operate more behind the scenes." Davis, a materials specialist with Williams Gas Pipeline, serves on the Rules Committee.

Among other elected Texans scheduled to attend - if the storm doesn't disrupt their plans - are Attorney General Greg Abbott, state Comptroller Susan Combs, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, U.S. Rep. Quico Canseco and state Sen. Dan Patrick. Each is angling for another statewide office. Although they won't know for sure how the musical chairs political game will play out until Perry and Dewhurst announce their plans, they will try to take advantage of convention opportunities to burnish their name identification.

Cruz, a favorite of the tea party rank-and-file and the conservative intelligentsia, was scheduled to speak Monday evening before events were postponed a day.

"Ted Cruz's speech will be a huge boost to our grass-roots, conservative base," said Jared Woodfill, the Harris County Republican Party chairman, who will be attending the convention. "Ted is now a national, conservative leader. He and Paul Ryan have energized grass-roots, conservative voters in Texas and around the country."

The Senate nominee is playing an additional role, as well, said Jerry Polinard, a political scientist at the University of Texas-Pan American. "Cruz is there to give a Latino face to the party ... like (U.S. Sen.) Marco Rubio. They'll be displayed quite a bit, both on stage and off stage, at the convention," he said.

"Cruz is a star, but it is funny that he should be the featured guy," said David Woodard, a Clemson University political scientist. "This could be called the 'non-Bush' convention, since the family is almost invisible here. Here is a family that has won the presidency three times ... but aside from Jeb Bush, they aren't being featured. Texas is going to be remembered by a guy who hasn't won the Senate seat yet, when they have two living presidents and such previous candidates as Phil Gramm and Rick Perry. I think it is strange."

Perry to be busy

The Texas governor, who is not a delegate, won't be in the limelight, but that does not mean he won't be busy, spokeswoman Frazier said. She said he would be doing interviews, attending Tennessee and Alabama delegation gatherings, speaking at a Coalition for Life Family Research Council event and taking part in a Republican Governors Association fundraiser.

Perry still is identified as "the 'oops' governor," said Polinard, who added that the governor is doing what he should if he plans to run for re-election or make another presidential bid.

Perry's presidential misadventures should not dog him at the convention, Polinard said. "I think people respect him, and he represents a very red state."

joe.holley@chron.com twitter.com/holleynews pfikac@express-news.net twitter.com/pfikac