Whoever wins a majority of delegates should be the nominee.
If no candidate has a majority, then two or more candidates (NOT backroom brokers) should make a deal. Basically whoever has the most delegates has the most leverage, not so much, however, that he can just ignore number 2 and 3 who might be able to combine forces to get a majority.
If Trump and Cruz occupy the top two spots in any order, I don’t see a betrayal. Carson owes the “powers” nothing as well.
Carson and Trump don’t owe the powers. Cruz has no friends among the powers (his biggest donors aren’t in that pool either). Rubio and Kasich are cozy with the establishment.
John Ellis Bush is a punch line, but he should be eliminated just on principle.
A near majority of delegates do not come from the caucuses or primaries. They are sent by the state parties to the convention and vote as the state “establishment” leaders say. Conservatives must get control at the local and state level to keep the process honest.
With Cruz gaining, I’d think the conservatives should be in good shape unless the Mitch McConnells of the party do something to stop Cruz or Trump from ceding their votes to the other in the event of a brokered convention. I don’t know what Carson would do if he has enough votes to make an impact by then - whether Trump has burned his bridges with Carson or not.
All in all, Cruz is the smartest in not burning bridges.I’m hoping the Donald is just putting on a show with his jabs at Cruz, because the ticket that will win both the primary and the general includes Trump and Cruz, and they both do well to not eat the other in the quest to decide which is the VP and which the P on that ticket.