The votes are not unaccounted for. We know exactly who received those votes.
It remains to see where they go from here. Both Trump and Cruz both lost that 45%. Cruz is working hard to get them and is being called a cheater for that and working by the rules to get more where the GOPe have made it hard to get them.
You can't get back votes cast for someone else. Cruz is trying to get the delegates at the convention, the vast majority of whom are pledged for the first round to vote for a specific candidate based on the primary results in their state. The only path to the nomination for Cruz and the other 15 others who ran in the primaries is a contested convention. Ryan has said essentially that all 17 candidates who started the race are eligible to be the nominee. It is why Kasich is staying in the race along with Cruz. Both have no shot at 1,237 mathematically form the primaries.
The whole point of the article is to kind of tell where that 45% will end up and others besides that. Is it true they will be with Cruz, I dont know. But it is where I am thinking they will go.
If you think they are all going to coalesce around Cruz including the Kasich and Rubio delegates, you are delusional. If there is a contested convention, the first step will be to stop Trump on the first ballot. Then the free for all will begin along with the horse trading and compromises. Cruz is not liked within the party. Many of the delegates are GOPe types who will move to other candidates than Trump and Cruz once Trump is stopped. I expect some sort of compromise candidate will be selected, which will destroy the party. Once you eliminate the guy who has won the most delegates, received the most votes, and won the most states--by far--any legitimacy for someone else is destroyed. The Trump voters (forget the delegates) will walk away from the GOP nominee. And if Cruz doesn't get it, his supporters will also walk away.
After the first vote they are unaccounted for is what I meant. And there is a lot of reporting that Cruz is working on getting those delegates.
I dont think they all will back Cruz. But to say that the GOPe hates Cruz is just as valid as saying the GOPe hates Trump. So therefore who do they hate more. I believe they hate Trump more.
I dont think at this point the GOPe believe any establishment candidate could win. And who would be willing to lose guaranteed. That would be a death wish for any ones career. And that is what it is for the GOPe a career.
We will have to disagree with who will get the votes though.