Cruz eyes double-agent delegates in bid to snatch GOP nomination from Trump

Sen. Ted Cruz’s hopes for winning the Republican presidential nomination outright have faded, and he has shifted to a strategy of gaming the rules, angling to send enough double-agent delegates to the July convention to snatch victory from front-runner Donald Trump.

It’s a major reversal for Mr. Cruz, who just weeks ago insisted he would win the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination before the convention. But major wins in Utah, Wisconsin and Colorado have not closed the gap, with a series of East Coast primaries looming.

Now the best option for the senator from Texas is trench warfare at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

I've been a Republican delegate or alternate up to the state level for just over two decades. At each level we have to stand before our own voters to ask them to elect us to the next level.

I've never been a national delegate and never wanted to be. I understand from people that have been there that there is a monetary cost to going to the national convention. Nevertheless, I have been lobbied at every level to vote for this guy or that.

I'm going to our state convention in May. Our national delegates will be told how to vote on the first ballot in Cleveland. They have no choice. This is the first year since I joined the fray that is so.

I have already seen folks in our state who want to go to Cleveland start to jockey for position. One way they jockey is jumping on the wagon of national candidates for ballots two and beyond in Cleveland.

Unless someone already has 1,237 when we meet in May, I expect to be approached by Trump and Cruz delegate candidates.

The only way to steal the nomination is to get the nod if you never ran or couldn't draw flies when you did.

We can avoid drama by understanding that these people asking for my vote is part of the process, expected even.

My question is are the delegates Rubio won in Minn. required to vote for him at the convention or are they being ‘told’ to vote for someone else?

If Rubio is on the ballot in Cleveland, those assigned to Rubio have to vote for him on the first ballot. After the first no one is obligated to vote for anyone in particular. If some weirdness happened and every Minnesota delegate to Cleveland had declared for Rubio, a portion of them would be told to vote for the others according to their portion of the caucus voters.

If Rubio isn't on the ballot, his "assigned" delegates will be "reassigned" proportionally to whoever in on the ballot according to how they fared in Minnesota.

They would have no complaints nor would any presidential candidate. It's the rule we all agreed to when we signed on. Rubio got the highest "delegate" count at 17. Cruz and Trump follow in that order. I think Rubio's 17 would be split with 10 for Cruz, 6 for Trump and 1 for Kasich...something like that.

This is the first year such assignments have followed in Minnesota. It's all still a little new to us...and a little confusing. No one is trying to steal anything. Quite the opposite. Party insiders don't really get to pick. They can try but have no real control over the real delegates.

I was surprised at our State Senate District (BPOU) convention. Cruz was not a close second on caucus night in Minnesota, even in our extremely local precincts. Rubio did extremely well...better in Minnesota than in Florida.

I thought being a Cruz guy would doom me as we climbed the ladder. I did say I would support the final GOP nominee...period. I have said it would be unfortunate if Kasich were to get the nod. I would even support him v. whichever loon survives the Democrat circus.

I didn't poll number one at my convention but was in the upper third of the 15 "Delegates" as opposed to "Alternates" we are sending to State. I still have no intention of running for the chance for Cleveland.

I wish our ultimate nominee was as loyal to his voters as they are to him. I like Cruz because he has, so far, done what he said he was going to do, even when the best inside the beltway advice was to the contrary.

If Rubio isn't on the ballot, his "assigned" delegates will be "reassigned" proportionally to whoever in on the ballot according to how they fared in Minnesota.

Ok, since Cruz came in second in Minnesota under that scenerio I presume he'd get a majority of Rubio's delegates...but who decides if Rubio is on the ballot?

Is that done by the GOP national committee according to their rules for the convention or does Minnesota decide?

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