Posted on 07/27/2015 7:27:14 AM PDT by conservativejoy
Supporters of Presidential candidate Scott Walker have gotten their way in the North Carolina General Assembly in their maneuvers to make the NC presidential primary a winner take all affair for the first time in the state’s history, something that does not go down well with many GOP activists in the state. The General Assembly had passed legislation in a previous session to set the primary for February, creating an RNC rule violation that would have led to punitive measures greatly reducing the size of the NC delegation. That set up a drive within the party to move the date to avoid that loss of delegates. The legislation to make the change created an opportunity to otherwise change the rules.
The legislation that passed in the General Assembly set the primary for March 15, but also made the change to a winner take all format.
Leading the charge for a winner take all system was State Senator Bob Rucho (R-Mecklenburg), a supporter of Walker who is a key member of Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger’s leadership team, but who is personally ideologically to the left of the conservative Berger. As CBS News tells the story:
Sources told CBS News that the Walker campaign also made it known to allies in the state legislature — namely state Sen. Bob Rucho, a powerful state Republican — that a March 15 winner-take-all contest would be its preference. According to one source, Walker “put the squeeze” on Rucho to make North Carolina an early winner-take-all primary.
“The 15th was communicated to Senator Rucho as the preferred date by the Walker campaign,” said another GOP source involved in the maneuvering. “If you’re Walker, you’re not going to go to Florida – why would you spend money there? You got Kasich’s Ohio on the same day. You’re not going to put a lot of resources there. North Carolina is a big fish.”
Moving the primary to March marked a change of heart for Rucho, who was locked in a dispute earlier this year with national Republican officials over his desire to move the primary to February – showcasing the state early in the nomination process. But that would have been in flagrant violation of Republican National Committee rules protecting February for the first four voting states: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
The Walker campaign declined repeated requests for comment.
Though multiple North Carolina Republicans said Rucho has been pulling the strings for Walker behind the scenes, Rucho denies being an outright supporter of the governor, despite heaping praise on him.
“I was very pleased to watch and see Governor Walker and see the message he put out,” Rucho told CBS News, praising Walker’s conservative record in Wisconsin. “My feeling is lot of people can talk about what they would like to do, but very few of them can actually achieve it.”
To see how a winner take all primary can distort the results from the Republican voters of North Carolina, one only has to look at the comments of Sen. Andrew Brock (R-Davie), a normally conservative legislator who co-sponsored the bill to change the primary:
“There is real opportunity here,” said State Sen. Andrew Brock, a co-sponsor of the bill moving the primary to March. “You can win with 15 or 16 percent of the vote. You’re going to have to run a campaign. And it doesn’t benefit one candidate or another in this race who is looking in our state.”
Get 15% of the vote and win ALL of the delegates? That is not the North Carolina way, and Walker faces a backlash among GOP voters as more learn why it is that our tradition of proportional representation has been destroyed. Some of the legislators behind this may also feel a backlash in their primaries, especially since more and more Republican activists are becoming disillusioned at multiple actions of the present legislature.
Unfortunately most of the other campaigns were asleep at the switch, as only Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) 86%‘s campaign made any effort in the legislature to preserve the proportional representation in the presidential primary.
This is particularly a concern among Republican activists after a bid to close North Carolina Republican primaries failed earlier this year. Not only could someone with 15% of the vote win all of the delegates, but what puts them just above a rival with 14.9% may be extensive support by non-Republican voters. The state, under procedures that will be in place for 2016 could see support from non-Republicans push a highly unrepresentative presidential candidate over the top to get all 72 of the state’s delegates. Thanks a lot, Governor Walker, Bob Rucho, (and Brad Dayspring?)
God still loves us.
Walker is so freaking great. When he wants something done, he does it. He is a true leader. We have only had one other in our lives and that was Reagan. I just love that Walker can inspire others to pass his agenda. Cruz is still trying to get a street name change....poor guy doesn’t inspire his fellow Senators to pass his agenda as they don’t respect him for some reason. Everyone respects and is inspired by Walker. Americans love a winner!!!!!!
?????
How could Walker know at this time if this will be beneficial to him?
BRAD DAYSPRING TACTICS?
Because his best buds Reince Priebus and Paul Ryan told him it would?
I smell Romney.
My sentiments exactly! This could be a great boost for Donald Trump! ;-)
How could Walker know at this time if this will be beneficial to him?
Great question. Walker (and the vile Dayspring) may have just done Trump a YUGE favor ;-)
How did Walker “cram” it down NC’s throat? Did he do something illegal, unethical, deceitful or plutocratic? If so, the article should state what he did. If not, the article is simply BS from a spoiled little brat whining because who found someone else did something he didn’t want. My guess is that sniveling whiner is in Bush’s pocket.
Unless Jeb wins, in which case it'll be Loser Take All. /rimshot!
Hey Bud, how do you inspire anyone who is not loyal to America? Half the GOP senators are American traitors. Thanks but no thanks to creepy Rove/Dayspring political corruption.
Please. It’s Bush. He’s got a winner-take-all state that is certain to go for him (Florida). He doesn’t want anyone else to be standing in the delegate count race after Florida.
NC going after the SEC primary, and going winner-takes-all allows Walker — but also Cruz or anyone else whose name doesn’t rhyme with Tush — to be alive after Florida.
Walker, unlike most in this race, has actually accomplished conservative legislative goals.
how do you inspire anyone who is not loyal to America?
I don’t know. Perhaps asking Cruz that question would make more sense. He seems to love America but nobody is sure he does. He does know how to complain though. Nobody likes a guy who bitches all the time but does not have any solutions. Boss’ always say “you can come to me and complain but have some solutions also”.
BRAD DAYSPRING!!
It appears that certain Walker supporters have been pushing this in the legislature.
Seems he was for a "path to citizenship" for illegal aliens before he was against it.
The last line of the article mentions Dayspring.
He’s going to have an omelet on his face if this back fires.
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