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GOP front-runner Donald Trump — with his family at this side — paid a visit Thursday morning to the TODAY Plaza to answer voters' questions in a live town hall. After his wife, Melania, and adult children spoke on behalf of the candidate, Trump answered questions submitted by people in the crowd and through social media.

“Governor Pence was pleased to welcome Mr. Trump back to Indiana and hear firsthand his plans for the country. The Governor was also grateful for the opportunity to describe Indiana's economic success and expressed his desire to have a partner in the White House who will help advance pro-growth economic policies, reduce burdensome regulation and curb the size and scope of government. With more than 130,000 new private sector jobs created since he took office, Governor Pence believes addressing these issues is critical in order for Indiana to continue to be a great place to live, work and raise a...

Based on the raw vote and delegate counts at Real Clear Politics, consider the following: Raw vote %: Trump - 40% Cruz - 29% Delegate %: Trump - 49% Cruz - 32% Bump created by the "system" (delegate % divided by raw vote%): Trump - 22% Cruz - 10% Votes per delegate (how many votes did it take on average to get one delegate): Trump - 10,322 Cruz - 11,430

There’s an old saying referenced at times when a person refuses to move based on principle: “At what cost are you willing to win”? cruz and heidiThe essential meaning behind the question is: how far are you willing to go -in the elimination of a coalition- in order to prove your own standing is most righteous? …and does the internal sense of victory overcome the desperate isolation at the end of your arguments? Do the ‘ends‘ justify the ‘means‘? Eventually the questions require pause, and eventually lead the recipient to ask themselves to reconsider their motives. Are pride and/or ego...

Trump strategist Roger Stone tells NJ 101.5 radio that even if Donald Trump wins a majority of pledged delegates to the Republican convention, Cruz will utilize "Trojan horse" delegates (who are bound to vote for Trump only on the first RNC nomination ballot) to vote on "procedural" matters in the Rules Committee or Credentials committee to block or disallow certain votes. ROGER STONE: Unfortunately just because Donald Trump gets the 1,237 [delegates needed to win], doesn't mean we aren't going to have a brokered convention. My sources, who are pretty good in the Republican Party, indicate to me that Ted...

Donald Trump no doubt had a big win in New York. He’s on track to claim nearly all of the state’s 98 delegates in a victory that saw him not only smash the 50 percent mark – which allowed him to gain extra delegates – but win nearly every region of the state. But according to the widely respected Nate Silver, writing for his political website, FiveThirtyEight, Trump is still also on track to come up short at the convention. The main question is, will he get close enough to required 1,237 that he can maneuver his way over the...

Now that Donald Trump has won his big victory in the New York primary, the crucial conflict on the Republican side is The People versus The Delegates. (On the Democratic side, that's not a problem. The Delegates won long ago.) Trump has been in the middle of this debate -- isn't he always -- taking the position that The People have primacy over The Delegates (or party elites). In New York at least, the people seem to agree with him. About seventy percent of the state's Republican voters, in an exit poll, said that the candidate with the most votes...

The process for selecting Electors varies throughout the United States. Generally, the political parties nominate Electors at their State party conventions or by a vote of the party’s central committee in each State. ... There is no Constitutional provision or Federal law that requires Electors to vote according to the results of the popular vote in their States. Some States, however, require Electors to cast their votes according to the popular vote. ... Today, it is rare for Electors to disregard the popular vote by casting their electoral vote for someone other than their party’s candidate. Electors generally hold a...

All 2016 Republican presidential delegate candidates and who they support Sources: Newspaper, social media, phone calls, emails, snail mail, inside sources - You should always check candidates social media and personal contacts. There are a great number of "shills" who are actually supporting a different candidate. This list should be reasonably accurate and has been checked and is updated. This list will be updated as candidates are contacted.

Most news services are reporting that Ted Cruz currently has 559 delegates after gaining zero in yesterday's New York primary. With 1237 the goal, it is clear that Ted Cruz can no longer win on the first ballot at the Republican Convention. He would need 678 delegates to reach 1237 and only 620 delegates remain. Obviously, that is impossible. That would be 109% of what remains, and that is a mathematical impossibility. A good guess of how many additional delegates Cruz will gain between now and June 8 is 209. That would give him a total of 768 going into...

“Locked up” in the sense that more than half the delegation will be loyal to Kasich, that is, not “locked up” in the sense that Kasich is going to win the primary in two weeks. As noted this morning, Indiana will be crucial in determining whether Trump clinches the nomination before the convention or not. Thirty delegates will be awarded to the statewide winner and another 27 will be awarded to the winners of the state’s nine congressional districts (three delegates per district, of course). If Cruz were to sweep, that’s 57 delegates that would be bound to him...

Conventions were held in every Georgia Congressional district last week to choose 42 of the state’s 76 delegates to the Republican National Convention. Each district choses three delegates. In the Third District, which includes Coweta, Trump won overwhelmingly in the Presidential Preference Primary. He also overwhelmingly won Georgia. But Saturday, Ted Cruz supporters overwhelmingly were named delegates at conventions around the state. Though many of the delegates chosen Saturday are supporters of Cruz, they still have to vote for Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention on the first ballot. Under Republican party rules, the delegates are free to vote...

<p>Sean Hannity, the conservative radio and television host, laid into Senator Ted Cruz on his radio program on Tuesday, scolding Mr. Cruz for dodging legitimate questions about his approach to wrangling delegates.</p> <p>Mr. Cruz, who is trying to catch up to Donald J. Trump in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, has been aggressively trying to peel away delegates in states where he lost the popular vote. Mr. Trump has said he is exploiting a rigged system. When Mr. Hannity asked about it on Tuesday, Mr. Cruz said the issue was a concern only to “hard-core Donald Trump supporters.”</p>

“Cruz was the earliest to organize here and unquestionably had the deepest connections on the ground. His top local organizer, Bette Grande, has been supporting him for months, dating back to when Cruz’s father, Rafael Cruz, came to her house last September during a North Dakota campaign swing.” How do you not love this? Literally eight months ago, he was already having his father campaign in North Dakota. And not just doing events, but going to the house of top local organizers in, again, not Iowa, not New Hampshire, not South Carolina, but North Dakota. And it’s not like Ted...

Donald Trump's final push for the GOP nomination starts Tuesday in New York, where the front-runner is heavily favored over rivals Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. The burning question is not whether Trump wins New York — if he doesn't, it will be among the biggest polling surprises ever — but whether Cruz and Kasich can pick up enough delegates to derail his nomination before July's convention in Cleveland. Since Trump's last victory in Arizona's March 22 primary, Cruz has won a competitive race in Wisconsin, as well as a series of sweeping victories in North Dakota,...

There are three Greek words that represent modes of persuasion Ethos, Pathos and Logos. Ethos - Ethical appeal, means to convince the audience about credibility or character.Pathos - Emotional appeal, tapping into the audiences emotions.Logos – Appealing to the logic of the audience. Through my studies, I have learned that Pathos, or pandering to one's emotions, is generally the most powerful of all the arguments. You see this in most modern politics “Hope and Change” – Obama or “I feel your pain” – Clinton and so on… Neither of these statements talks about logical qualifications for public office but rather...

Weeks after his campaign vowed to turn things around in the hunt for delegates, GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump is still struggling to ensure that supporters will be there to vote for him at the Republican convention in Cleveland. Trump is expected to easily win the New York primary on Tuesday and most if not all of the 95 delegates at stake, ensuring that the businessman will remain well ahead of Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

To refresh your memory: Washington State has 44 delegates, winner-take-most (majority takes all) proportional primary (20% threshold), with statewide and CD delegates. Closed primary (deadline to switch is next week; deadline for first-time voters is next month), but it’s all mail-in. …And, just think! Five months ago, I would have had to write another three or four sentences to explain all of that. Now I can just assume that most of you folks will be able to follow along. It’s an ill wind, huh? Anyway, it turns out that Ted Cruz has already done the work – before the deadline...

<p>Donald Trump's continuing onslaught against the Republican Party's nominating rules has top members fighting behind the scenes shortly before their critical meeting in Florida...</p>

If we can't pick our nominee then we should get the chance to vote for delegates. The RNC/GOP should not be able to wine/dine and cherry pick delegates. THIS NASTINESS IS NOT A REPRESENTATIVE REPUBLIC. IT IS CHERRY-PICKED AND GERRY-MANDERED ON BOTH SIDES. Democrat and Republican are just made up words to give us the appearance we have a choice. D.C. is an elite club and we ain't in it!!!!!