Posted on 03/08/2016 12:35:25 PM PST by SeekAndFind
The ultimate result of the 2016 presidential election could yet rest on the likes of Erling “Curly” Haugland, 69, a businessman from Bismarck, North Dakota, who will be one of the 2,472 delegates to the Republican party convention in July. And he isn’t saying what he’ll do.
“I wouldn’t know until the day of the first ballot [at the convention in Cleveland, Ohio] because a lot can happen between now and then,” he said.
With the Republican party in uproar over the runaway primary lead of billionaire property mogul Donald Trump, the role of convention delegates could be crucial in deciding who faces Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee.
Many Republican grandees believe Trump would be doomed to defeat at the hands of Clinton. A few even fear he could be a “plant” by Democrats, given his past liberal positions, his seven financial donations to Clinton campaigns and her attendance with husband Bill at his third wedding in 2005.
In vehemently denouncing Trump last week, Mitt Romney, the defeated 2012 Republican nominee tacitly sketched out a “contested convention” scenario whereby the front-runner’s three remaining rivals stayed in the race to deny him the chance of getting the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination.
“Given the current delegate selection process, this means that I would vote for Marco Rubio in Florida, for John Kasich in Ohio, and for Ted Cruz or whichever one of the other two contenders has the best chance of beating Mr Trump in a given state,” Romney said.
Before Saturday, Trump had 329 delegates compared to 231 for Texas senator Cruz, 110 for Florida senator Marco Rubio and 25 for John Kasich, the governor of Ohio.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
If Trump beating Clinton is such a lead pipe cinch, why didn’t he challenge her for the nomination of the Democrat party? He didn’t need to come over to the Republicans and try to pass himself off as a conservative when he has never been one.
That's not a lot. And a certain percent of them are certain to be anti-establishment.
A.) Because Trump was registered as Republican.
B.) Because a Democrat has been in office for 8 years. More often than not, after a two term presidency, the nation votes for the other party. The exception was Bush Sr. (and he only had one term).
If the republican convention wants to pull a fast one and ignore the will of the voters, let them. Truly, LET THEM.
WRITE TRUMP IN! We are NOT confined to two parties, nor are we confined to ONLY the candidates they approve of.
Really people, WE have to begin to think outside the box as well!
I just took a look at who the third party candidates are...ewwww, looks like an oil slick from a fast food restaurant grease trap to me, as far as choices go.
The VOTERS really need to remember exactly WHO is in charge in this republic, and it’s NOT a political party.
We have absolutely GOT to get our own heads out of the gutter, out of the trap of thinking that the only choices we have are R or D. We simply HAVE to. Maybe not in all election years, but most certainly THIS one.
Can we get such an idea to go viral????? I think we really need to scare the pants out of both political parties and exert our true power, don’t you???
I’ll add to that...Trump realized Republicans are pissed. They don’t want their guns taken away; they want a wall between Mexico, etc. Democrats aren’t pissed about much (although some whine about the economy). Although Trump isn’t a conservative, he knows how to play to conservatives and they are the ones who will turn out to vote during this election cycle.
That's almost 10% of the total he needs to get the nomination.
By making the wild assumption that they would all go for the same candidate.
Now now, you don’t know what ‘most’ think.
I for one think Trump gets run over the rails from nomination day to election day and gets little to no air time beginning in early October.
Yes, this will happen with any delegate but due to his statements throughout his public life... He’s an easy target for the left.
As we move forward the broken sentences will turn into chopped up sound bites the flips will be excluded from the flops and the democrats will paint him in any way they want. It’s not going to be fun being a trump supporter in September. Remember, he’s a white 1%’r whose dad was a slumlord. That doesn’t fly with most republicans but the left will enjoy using it every day.
I can remember when the black folks I worked with, the ones I met at the grocery store and campaign visits were asking me serious questions about W. in 2000. I thought we had a chance to pick up a good percentage. Then the goofy adds started about ‘lynchings’ etc... (I still despise Mark Pryor for pushing those adds on Hip Hop radio stations....)
The honest questions turned into abject hate - directed against me because I was a very visible Bush supporter.
It will happen.
Cruz will be a much harder target. Will they pick on Heidi for GS connections? Maybe, but then she can dish on what Hillary said during her stops there. I think they’ll actually go the other way - pick on Cruz because his father is an immigrant and spread sleazy racist junk like ‘He’s greasy’. They are pretty good at that kind of thing.
Yeah, nah.
These people have to go back to their communities after this is all over.
No way do they want to be on record as stealing an election.
NEXT!
Pinging DoughtyOne in reply to:
“WRITE TRUMP IN! We are NOT confined to two parties, nor are we confined to ONLY the candidates they approve of.”
Doughty, please explain to PrairieLady2 how not voting for the republican candidate is voting for Hillary.
GOPe suicide watch.
Cruz and Trump and going to fill the first two slots and 3rd is going to be a very, very distant 3rd.
If the #1 isn’t picked as the nominee, the Republican Party is over, finished.
No, not making any assumptions. But if they are not bound, he cannot count on getting any of them. He might get some or he might not. So to be sure of getting a majority of the delegates on the first ballot, he needs to get about 60% of the remaining available delegates.
Yep. It’s just that the trend almost always favors just one candidate as primary season progresses.
But as we have already seen, the conventional wisdom and historical precedent seems to be out the window this time.
I’m not the best person to explain that to her.
I refused to vote for Bush or McCain.
What I can do is remind her the next president will name 3 or 4 SCOTUS appointments.
If she is comfortable with Hillary making those nominations, then sit out.
GOPe needs to get rid of Trump before the convention. No way they broker this. Time is getting short though if they want to Dump Trump.
If your opinion were accurate and accurately reflected the state of your work product, you’d have been able to move out of mom’s basement by now.
Cruz is not a viable GOPe nominee, no matter what the FRumpsters say. That leaves zero chance of a GOPe nominee being #1 or #2. That in and of itself is a victory.
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