Pittsburgh-Area Delegate Seen Waving Terrible Towel at GOP Convention

When packed his bags for the Republican National Convention, he made sure that people would know that he was from Pittsburgh.

The alternate delegate representing Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District packed Steelers and Penguins jerseys, along with a coal miner's hat with Steelers, Pirates and Penguins logos on it.

CBS's cameras captured him on Thursday night wearing a black firefighter's helmet and a Sidney Crosby jersey. He was waving a Terrible Towel while the audience applauded during presidential candidate Mitt Romney's speech.

"I'll wear a Steeler or Penguin jersey every night to the convention floor," McMullen said during an interview before his trip to Tampa, FL. In addition to Crosby's jersey, McMullen also packed jerseys with the numbers and names of Ben Roethlisberger, James Harrison and Evgeni Malkin.

"I think people will know where I'm from," McMullen said during the interview at a .

McMullen is a Hampton Township resident (with a Gibsonia mailing address) who has been active in Republican circles in Pittsburgh's North Hills area for more than 20 years.

He is the Republican state committeeman from the 40th Senate District of Pennsylvania, which includes 12 townships and boroughs in the North Hills.

The Tampa convention is the third that McMullen has attended. He also served as an alternate delegate at the 1996 and 2008 conventions in San Diego and Minneapolis, respectively.

From experience, he predicted that he would get very little sleep.

"There's not much downtime," McMullen said. "It's a tight, compacted schedule."

Asked about the issues, he replied, "This year, especially, it's about jobs, taxes, the economy."

At the two conventions that he attended previously, the Republican presidential candidates ultimately did not win. The 1996 ticket was Bob Dole and Jack Kemp, and for 2008, it was John McCain and Sarah Palin.

"Hopefully, maybe, the third time's a charm," McMullen said, "and we elect someone who wins."

Being at the convention is one of those "certain moments in your life," he said.

"There's an aura of being on the convention floor," said McMullen, who grew up in a blue-collar home and put himself through the University of Pittsburgh. "It's surreal.

"To nominate the next president of the United States, that's a big deal."

This story originally appeared on .

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