Posted on 04/09/2016 8:30:19 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
In Colorado and South Carolina, the GOP's embattled front-runner had another very bad day.
Donald Trump’s struggle to win loyal delegates to the Republican National Convention grew even more desperate on Saturday, with crushing losses in Colorado and South Carolina that put victory at a contested convention further from his grasp.
Trump, who handed the reins of much of his campaign this week to strategist Paul Manafort in an effort to shore up his operation before the nomination slips away, was swept out of delegate slots up for grabs at Colorado’s state convention. Adding to his woes, he picked up just one delegate of six on the ballot in South Carolina. The most painful result, though, may have been Trump’s failure to capture two of three slots in his strongest South Carolina congressional district.
In fact, Trump lost five of the six delegate seats on the ballot in South Carolina’s 3rd and 7th congressional districts. Ted Cruz nabbed a delegate in the 7th district, while another, Alan Clemmons, remained uncommitted despite Trump’s dominant finish there in the state’s Feb. 20 primary. (The Manhattan billionaire won 43 percent of the district’s vote, to Cruz’s 20 percent and Kasich’s 6 percent.) Cruz also won two of three delegates in the 3rd district, while a third — Susan Aiken, a supporter of Marco Rubio — will go to the convention as an uncommitted delegate.
At the same time, Trump so far has been swept in Colorado, which unlike most states chooses its delegates indirectly, through a series of caucuses. Cruz, who has had a team working the state for months, received a thunderous ovation in Colorado Springs at Saturday afternoon’s chaotic GOP assembly as he announced his preliminary delegate haul while Trump’s bare-bones operation struggled to get organized.
After firing the organizer initially put in charge of Colorado last week, Trump’s team hired Patrick Davis, a GOP operative from Colorado Springs, to put together a slate in an effort to win some of the delegate slots to be elected by just fewer than 4,000 party activists at Saturday’s assembly. Heading in, Cruz had already swept the seven assemblies held in the state’s congressional districts, each of which elect three delegates, giving him 21 of Colorado’s 34 elected delegates – a majority – before ballots hit the floor at the state convention.
"We have beaten Donald Trump," Cruz told supporters packed into the World Arena.
Trump’s last-minute organizing effort did not go well. The leaflet his campaign handed out listed a slate of 26 delegates. But in many cases the numbers indicating their ballot position — more than 600 delegates are running for 13 slots — were off, meaning that Trump’s team was mistakenly directing votes toward other candidates’ delegates.
When the balloting results were announced Saturday evening, Cruz picked up the 13 statewide at-large delegates chosen during Saturday’s convention, with the final three appointed automatically by the Colorado Republican Party, giving him all 34 of Colorado's elected delegates (Trump did win six of the 34 alternate spots).
“Cruz had the crowd eating out of his hand when he spoke,” said Kelly Maher, a GOP operative based in Denver.
It’s an extension of a losing streak for Trump that threatens the mogul’s odds of winning the Republican nomination at what is increasingly likely to be a contested convention in July. Trump is close to falling short of enough support in the state-level primaries and caucuses to clinch the nomination outright, meaning his fate would be determined by delegates in Cleveland.
Yet Trump’s thinly staffed operations, even in the states he carried easily in February and March primaries, have left little organization behind to support delegate candidates. In addition to the congressional-district routs in South Carolina and Colorado, he’s been dealt setbacks in Indiana, North Dakota, Tennessee, Louisiana, South Dakota, and Georgia. Massachusetts is also shaping up as a delegate battleground, despite Trump’s dominance of the popular vote there.
Trump has primarily lost delegate races to Cruz, whose superior organization, months of preparatory work and resonance among the GOP’s activist base has helped him consolidate support in the insider-oriented battle for delegates. Trump has begun mobilizing for a delegate push in recent days, empowering Manafort, a veteran of past convention battles, to lead his effort, but the 67-year-old lobbyist and political consultant is still playing catch-up.
Trump dominated South Carolina’s Feb. 20 primary in a much more crowded field, earning the obligatory support of all 50 of the state’s convention delegates on the first ballot at the national convention, set to be held in Cleveland. But if Trump falls short of clinching the nomination on a first vote, these delegates will become “unbound” on a second ballot, free to support the candidate of their choice.
Trump’s lone South Carolina delegate on the day, Jerry Rovner of Pawleys Island, said he’d stick with Trump so long as it looked like he had a shot to win the convention on subsequent ballots. But he said he’s open to backing Cruz as well, though he won’t consider any other candidate, even new entrants into the contest at the convention.
“The people that put the work in, that’s who I’m gonna support. I’m going to start with Donald Trump and I’ll stay with him,” he said.
Gerri McDaniel, who won an alternate slot for Trump in the 7th District, said she was frustrated to finish just outside the top three in voting and noted that she had been sick, preventing her from actively campaigning in the delegate fight.
“If I had not have been sick — this is my fourth day out of the house — probably the results would have been quite different," she said.
Trump was always poised to struggle to win delegates in South Carolina because the process favors party insiders who typically have rejected his brash, establishment-bashing style.
Early indications in North Carolina and Iowa suggested Trump had been routed in the hunt for another 30-plus delegates there. Cruz won the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1, but Trump bested Cruz in North Carolina on March 15. Still, Trump's efforts were essentially futile in both states.
Trump's lone bright spot of the weekend came in Michigan, where Republicans were also selecting delegates on Saturday. With a little help from John Kasich's campaign, Trump's team gave Cruz a dose of his own medicine, leaving the Texas senator shut out of the eight convention committee slots.
Kasich's delegates, whose votes Cruz was counting on, ended up voting for Trump behind closed doors after Cruz attempted to win all eight committee slots. Saul Anuzis, Cruz's Michigan campaign chairman, called it a "double-cross," even going as far as to tweet that the Ohio governor is "now openly auditioning for Donald Trump's Vice President slot."
Of the 59 delegates selected Friday and Saturday in Michigan, 25 spots went to Trump, while Cruz and Kasich each took 17 apiece. But the highly coveted committee assignments, especially on the RNC Rules Committee that could revamp procedures for the nomination battle, are of heightened importance with the increasing likelihood of a contested convention. If Kasich doesn't have any supporters on that committee, his rivals' backers could draft new rules that make it harder for Kasich to compete.
Every state gets two slots on the committee. Kasich backer Judi Schwalbach won the rules slot, and Trump supporter Matt Hall won the other, a rare double defeat for Cruz.
Cruz was also boxed out by Trump and Kasich supporters from any of the other convention committees. Kasich delegate Chuck Yob won a slot on the Convention Credentials Committee, which will rule on challenges to delegates’ eligibility to be seated in Cleveland. And Kasich delegate Yavonne Whitbeck won a spot on the Permanent Organization Committee, which — among other tasks — will elect a chairman to preside over the convention.
On Friday evening, as the scope of Cruz’s victory in Colorado was coming into view, Trump seemed to recognize his plight.
“Isn’t it a shame that the person who will have by far the most delegates and many millions more votes than anyone else, me, still must fight,” he tweeted.
Thanks so much for putting so much thought into such a cogent commentary :)
interesting take.
These people are evil!
No, he just gets their votes.
And there are many examples of what you speak of on this thread. It’s pretty sad to witness because this is not a game, it’s about the future of this country, a Constitutional Republic verses the constant progressing statism that the Uniparty and Global establishment continues to strangle us with. And yes, Ted Cruz has made himself a part of the establishment by many of his actions.
They are going to have to open their eyes eventually. Hopefully it is not too late where we will have to tell our children and grandchildren what freedom was like (credit: Reagan Warning).
CGato
I have been searching for reference to it and the only place I find it is on that website. That is why I wouldn’t believe it or cite it as truth.
I dislike having to explain myself to people who aren't up to speed.
No one’s influence could have changed that outcome.
Walker had just won a recall election by stomping his opponents.
You'd have us believe that he couldn't share the love with Romney?
It was more like the Democrats bused in vote soldiers from Illinois to the Milwaukee precincts, because Illinois was a LOCK.
And Walker knew, but was too much of a candy@ss to challenge it.
Waukesha County, Wisconsin:
2016
Cruz 75123
Trump 27186
Kasich 18521
total: 120830
Sanders 26339
Clinton 24784
total: 51123
2016 total: 171953
2012
Romney 51329
Santorum 23874
other 7489
total: 82692
Obama 9442
total: 9442
2012 total: 92134
2008
McCain 28160
Huckabee 13926
other 1313
total: 43399
Obama 37662
Clinton 34009
total: 71671
2008 total: 115070Fascinating numbers, n00b. Don't you agree?
Where did the 20,000 2008 Democrat primary voters "disappear" to, in an open primary? Hey - lookee there! Cruz got 20,000 more votes in 2016 than Romney in the 2012 primary!
“They are no better than liberals.”
I don’t know about that, but they don’t SOUND much different, in essence shouting “Rule of law! Rule of law! Rule of law!” on every delegate thread.
well then we will just see.
I believe it now.
I believe it is an established fact. You clearly don’t.
But I believe you will. One day.
If I find another confirming source I will send it to you, especially if I can find the audio... with Ted’s voice in it.
And Mitt Romney was the establishment candidate. He pretty much took a dive so that 0bama could win his second term.
It's crazy that you see that but don't see all the shenanigans going on with the GOP establishment trying to get "their" candidate installed and the current leader ousted.
They will fight tooth and nail to keep a true outsider, Donald Trump, from being the nominee but I guarantee you they will lay down against Hillary Clinton if they get "their" candidate installed.
Donald Trump won't lay down for anyone and that has got to have the whole Uniparty/Globalist establishment in a frenzy.
CGato
“Constitutionalism is not a surrender to the mob, it is a set of rules to be observed.”
So why is the “Constitutionally Conservative” Canadian born son of a Cuban Father certifying to the various SoSs that he is a Constitutionally eligible NBC candidate for the office of US President if it’s all about “.....a set of rules to be observed.”?
Ted started his candidacy with a lie (perjury?) and hasn’t seem fit to stop since. How is he any different from the crooked, lying politicians we have now? As far as I am concerned all he needs is a Pantsuit!
It pains me to say, but for the first time in my life I have to say “never again....I’ll sit out first!” (no idle threat) The first time since I voted for Reagan as California Governor!
Trump benefits from the rules change from Romney. He would be worse off with the previous primary process.
That is good then.
CGato
Thank you. :)
Yeah, the perverts at the Slimes (more than 95% of editors and reporters are homosexual; yes, it’s true; yes, it makes a difference as they are in fact a powerful hate-group of American greatness and history, but that’s an aside), the NYT is late, later than the leading edge on FR and in fact, you can bet they read threads here and get ideas on what to fill their columns with after their editors steer them to the desired spin.
Their topic is newsworthy but Becky Quick, cute little Becky Quick of CNBC, replacement for the hag formerly known as perky Katie, broke the news more than 3 weeks ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YUPB2YcFvI
Now the homos at the NYT don’t have time to watch so much TV when they can more easily scan FR and get the same information real-time here.
Yeah, so anyways thanks for thinking to pass that on.
PS-NYT still does some good stuff but it’s not cutting edge, however, what they do stitch together is often nicely laid out for reference. I use their delegate schedule for lookup, because it puts most of the info I need on one or two pages in easy to find format. They’re good at that arranging colors and forms like most homos do with a flair.
I know, I know, I is a homophobiac, they hate straights (as I am) and straights hate them or will hate them and are growing to hate them again, as in history. The ‘hate’ is brought on by the resurrection of Christian persecution. My hate comes from the instinctive and logical progression of a chain of emotions that goes like this:
lie and betrayal —>
shock and hurt —>
anger and rage —>
hatred.
One must be wise enough to control the anger and quell the hatred, and then be smart enough to trap them and hang them. Patience is the key.
So that’s what a NY Times report does to this single father. It makes me spit. And they are not worth it anyways when one follows and learns from FR.
Cruzbots today on Free Republic have the following sites running bashing Trump
Politico
Red State
Salon
Slate
MSNBC
CNN
NYT
just for starters
Why don’t you read more than the headline
Cruz is doing nothing
The Republican Party establishment is loading their states delegate slates with unbound delegates whenever they can to try to stop Trump
Cruz just happens to maybe be the benificiary
Cruzbots just imagine
Trump has only gotten 39% of the popular vote in states that have already voted. Even in states where he won, he usually won with a minority vote. I don't hear anyone carping about all the people that DIDN'T vote for him being disenfranchised by the system because their delegates are bound to Trump.
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