Ingrid Moenkamp, from St. Paul, Minnesota; Chris Stemmler, of Dallas; Ben Stein, of Denver; John Stumpf, a Democratic strategist; and John Nolte, a conservative pundit. All declined to be interviewed, and Stein and Nolte were not immediately available for comment.

Nolte said in a telephone interview Monday evening that he did not remember whether he would attend the GOP convention because he has “been through plenty of party conventions, including my last one four years ago.”

“They’re having no trouble running their convention,” Nolte said. “They’re saying it will be a more controlled convention. That’s nonsense to me.”

The Democratic presidential campaign chairman, Michael Cray, called the efforts as cynical.

“The purpose in being out there is basically to try to create fear among the Republicans ahead of the Iowa caucuses, which is nothing but a joke,” Cray said in an interview. “They are going to tell you to get in line, get a place under the sheets, get your kids vaccinated against communicable diseases, and they’re going to say that if you don’t get in line, they won’t vote for you.”

Republican delegates have said the convention will be more democratic, with more debate and discussion on the first ballot.

While this effort appears to be aimed at quelling opposition, most of the effort is designed to avoid any actual vote-buying.

State GOP officials and state party committees have long accepted and even welcomed big donations from outside groups, and state party officials said Monday night they would continue to accept money from outside groups.

Many Republicans say they do not object to outside money. They just think the outside groups should follow state party rules more closely and must disclose how they spend their money, and there should be strict reporting requirements covering political spending.

Some Republican officials, however, say that the outside money will keep the party from competing for the nomination because it will keep it from engaging in debates or drawing a strong record to voters.

“The convention will be largely a circus, and I would suggest that there will be very little serious speech by the nominee of either party,” said Dave Carney, chairman of the South Dakota Republican Party, who also is an organizer for the GOP presidential campaign.

Several prominent Iowa Republicans said their party has to become more disciplined in how it spends its money