Cruz’s rivals for the GOP presidential nomination, Donald Trump and John Kasich, declined invitations to attend – a puzzling move in particular for Trump as he tries to project himself as a party unifier who deserves the Republican nomination even if he falls short of winning enough delegates in the primaries to clinch it outright.
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The Republican front-runner’s stumble in Wisconsin exposed a variety of weaknesses.
In Colorado, where more than 3,000 people at the state convention were picking 13 delegates, the Cruz camp sported bright orange T-shirts with his slate of delegates printed on the back.
There were, however, three pro-Trump delegates on the ballot who weren’t sanctioned by the campaign.
After a shake-up at the top this week in which Trump empowered Paul Manafort to manage the campaign’s troubled delegate operation, Sen. “And it is the liberal values of Democratic politicians who have been hammering the people of NY for decades”, the Texas senator told CNN’s Dana Bash in an interview that aired Thursday on “Erin Burnett OutFront”. He has a big lead in his home state.
But Trump, with his insurgent, outsider campaign – complete with bombastic and denigrating statements against Mexicans, Muslims and women – has turned that narrative on its head.
In elevating Manafort, Trump said he would add more staff before the convention in an expansion of his campaign team beyond the close-knit group of advisers who have been at his side since he jumped into the presidential race last June.
“The Cruz campaign tried a takeover and they failed miserably”, Timmer said. None of the names were on any candidate’s official slates, but two were bound to Cruz, one to Trump and two unpledged.
Walker said he doesn’t believe deciding the nominee at the convention would result in chaos.
The state’s Republicans are hoping to get some visits from some of the presidential hopefuls.
The remaining 42 of Michigan’s delegates will be divided up this weekend at the state convention. “Most everybody here is for Cruz”.
Hence the hand-wringing among several Republicans, notably Romney, who has led the charge among party elites to derail Trump’s nomination bid.
“What you usually have is a pretty fair allocation, so I don’t see a lot of gamesmanship being played there”, Anuzis said. “They could do whatever they want to do”. And Kasich supporter Chuck Yob – the father of Republican operative John Yob – beat Cruz supporter Rep. Justin Amash for the other spot on the credentials committee.
For instance, Brookover said, if a delegate cares about the issue of religious liberty, he or she may get a call from Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. vouching for Trump. “But delegates do care about it….” Cruz is flying in to address the convention, just like he did at a similar North Dakota Republican meeting last week.
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Is the Republican establishment, having been repudiated in the primaries in a historic turnout by the party base, now engaged in a willful act of self-deception? Allies are arguing that Trump would be best to guide coal country out of its chronic economic despair. He downplayed any expectations that they would pick up additional delegates to vote Cruz on a second or third ballot at the national convention. “They’re leaning pretty heavily on folks”.
