Free Republic

"Reince Priebus' former loyalists say they have reluctantly concluded that forces at the RNC will stop at virtually nothing to keep the door open to the nomination of Ohio Gov. John Kasich at the July convention – or, as some skeptics fear, some “white knight” who moderates claim will have broader voter appeal this fall than either Donald Trump or Ted Cruz, the two top-delegate winners, have shown in most polls so far."

Donald Trump's relentless assault on the rules that govern how Republicans choose their nominee is coming far too late to change what even defenders acknowledge is a complicated selection system. He seems to know it, too. Instead, his railing against a "rigged" process appears aimed at amplifying his central message to an angry electorate: America is a mess, and only Trump can clean it up.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told reporters at a press conference Sunday in Staten Island that the Republican primary nomination process is “rigged” against him and he refuses to play by the rules established by GOP state party committees he deems unfair.“I don’t want to play the rule game, because I’ll tell you what, we live in a democracy and it’s all about getting the bosses out. The bosses are picking. Now I’m winning, you will say. I’m wining by 200 delegates. I’m winning, more importantly in my opinion, I’m winning by 2 million votes. In other words I’ve gotten more...

Priebus maintained Sunday that state parties, not the RNC, decide their individual delegate processes, which have been finalized since last October. "The process has been going on for a month in each of the state's where there's been a convention," Priebus said. "It's not a matter of party insiders. It's a matter of 2,400 grassroots activists, and whatever they want to do, they can do."

Imagine, if you will, that your house is on fire. The conflagration has spread from the kitchen downstairs to engulf the hallway outside your bedroom upstairs. So you remain in your room, with a window open and a damp cloth over your mouth, under your bed. As you lay there terrified, eyes and throat burning from noxious fumes, a fireman bursts through the door. He sees you under the bed, a look of frenzied hope in your eyes that help has finally arrived. The fireman walks over to the window, shuts it, and then exits the room closing the door...

The Republican National Committee is expected to debate a proposal next week that would dramatically shift the balance of power at this summer’s convention — and impose a new rulebook for selecting the party's nominee. The proposal, which will top the agenda during a meeting of the Rules panel at the RNC’s annual spring meeting in Hollywood Beach, Fla., would fundamentally alter how the convention is conducted, further empowering the delegates to determine the course of the proceedings. It amounts to not just a changing of the rules but of the rulebook itself, with far-reaching implications, potentially impacting whether party...

Gov. Charlie Baker won’t be attending the Republican National Convention in Ohio this July, breaking a string of Massachusetts governors with prominent speaking roles at the party’s convention. Baker, who was elected to office and has governed as a moderate Republican, has taken issue with the party’s leading presidential candidates this election cycle. He has criticized Donald Trump’s “reprehensible” comments about Muslims and women and said Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz have not shown an ability to collaborate with others. Other moderate Republicans, including New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, have also said they do...

“Now it’s just an oligarchy, with unlimited political bribery being the essence of getting the nominations for president or to elect the president. And the same thing applies to governors, and U.S. senators and congress members.” — Former President Jimmy Carter (ANTIMEDIA) Denver, CO — The 2016 election has been a wild ride, with two insurgent grassroots campaigns literally giving the political establishment a run for its money. But as the events of this presidential primary season play out, it’s becoming clear the U.S. election — and even more so, the presidential race — is a big scam being perpetrated...

As Cleveland prepares to host the Republican National Convention this summer, it's bidding on millions of dollars of security equipment and tactical gear for its police.

"If Donald Trump exceeds 1,100 votes, he will become the nominee even though he may not have 1,237," Evans said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

Reince Priebus, the beleaguered and balding Republican National Committee chairman, was asked a few days ago about his mane. “How much gray hair do you think you’re going to have by December?” CNN’s Jake Tapper inquired. “Gray is fine,” the party boss replied. “I just want to make sure I have hair.” Alternatively, he could try a Whig. This could be the first time in 160 years when a major American political party splits, and Priebus, the young technocrat from Wisconsin brought in to improve the Republicans’ infrastructure, is in over his head.

NEW YORK — Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed the chairman of the Republican National Committee, claiming the party's system for selecting its presidential nominee is a “scam” and a “disgrace.” During an exclusive interview with The Hill at Trump Tower, Trump said, “It's a disgrace for the party. And Reince Priebus should be ashamed of himself. He should be ashamed of himself because he knows what's going on.”

The Republican National Convention Rules Committee is the most powerful group you've never heard of -- it will set the rules of the convention and could potentially keep John Kasich off the ballot, open the battle to House Speaker Paul Ryan or create a dozen other different scenarios that decide the result. Its power is only limited by the political constraints of Republican Party leaders worried about the long-term effects of Donald Trump winning or losing the nomination. "He who writes the rules, rules -- as the old saying goes," said Gary Emineth, former chairman of the North Dakota Republican...

After winning only six delegates in Wisconsin, and with Ted Cruz poaching delegates in states he has won, like Louisiana, Donald Trump either wins on the first ballot at Cleveland, or Trump does not win. Yet, as that huge, roaring reception he received in his first post-Wisconsin appearance in Bethpage, New York, testifies, the Donald remains not only the front-runner, but the most exciting figure in the race. Moreover, after the New York, New England, mid-Atlantic and California primaries, Trump should be within striking distance of the 1,237 delegates needed for the nomination. He will then have to persuade uncommitted...

In 2012 the GOPe gave us the architect of Obamacare Mitt Romney a crash dummy we had to hold our nose to vote for. An estimated 3.5 million potential conservative voters stayed home and another 17% of those who did show up actually voted for Obama. Shortly after the 2012 disaster an analysis of the voting patterns in four states was conducted. The resultant data are facts the GOPe would just as soon we didn’t remember. It found that with a total number of just 333,908 switches in votes in New Hampshire, Florida, Ohio and Virginia, Romney would have gained...

Rules changes to the Republican National Convention could happen as soon as two weeks from now. The Republican National Committee is gathering in Hollywood, Florida, for its spring meeting later this month. This quarterly gathering includes a, Contest Committee meeting, Debates Committee meeting, and Standing Committee meeting on the rules. This is the last time RNC members will gather before the party’s convention in Cleveland later in July. Ross Little Jr., a Republican National Committeeman from Louisiana and Convention Rules Committee member, told Fox News Channel’s Gretchen Carlson Thursday that “small tweaks” to the convention rules could happen at the...

F ARGO—Presidential candidate Ted Cruz's supporters claimed the bulk of North Dakota's Republican delegates this past weekend, but the impact of that win won't be apparent for months because all of the delegates in the state are unbound. Of the 25 delegates elected at the North Dakota Republican convention, at least 17 are supporting Cruz or leaning that way. {snip} But Dever believes a lot could change between now and July, when the Republican National Convention is held in Cleveland. That's why he was surprised to see his name alongside 22 others on a list of "Cruz supporters" that was...

GOP front-runner Donald Trump, facing a likely setback in Tuesday's Wisconsin primary, plans to shift gears in the coming weeks, and give a series of policy speeches in settings more formal than the freewheeling rallies that have become his political signature. Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said in an interview Tuesday that a memo published by The Washington Post detailing how Trump plans to get Mexico to pay for his proposed border wall is a prelude to a series of moves that flesh out the policies that Trump has been speaking about in general terms in his rallies and in...

In an interview Monday by "Newsmax Prime" host J.D. Hayworth on Newsmax TV, Ronna Romney McDaniel, chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, praised Preibus' leadership of the Republican National Committee. "I think Reince has revolutionized the Republican Party," she said. "He has put together a field program that we have never seen before…. He has put us in a place in 2016 where we can win the White House because of the infrastructure that he has so effectively built."

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus cautioned supporters of Donald Trump who vocally disapprove of the GOP's delegate allocation and selection process. "By the way, this is a nomination for the Republican Party," Priebus told 620 WTMJ in Wisconsin. "If you don't like the party, then sit down. The party is choosing a nominee." Priebus said he does not think Trump will run as a third-party candidate, and added that he expects all remaining Republican candidates to support the party's nominee. Asked by radio host Charlie Sykes whether the nominating rules would change from those set at the previous convention,...