Posted on 04/09/2016 5:25:33 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Ted Cruz's delegate-hunting operation is running rings around Donald Trump's team, and he's making gains because of it.
In North Dakota last weekend and Colorado this weekend, Cruz's team is out-hustling and outmanuevering Donald Trump, probably picking up a majority of unbound and "uncommitted" delegates in both states.
While Donald Trump still holds the delegate lead in the GOP presidential primary race, his Achilles heel has been a perceived weakness in his ground game. Seeking to capitalize on this, Cruz has outmaneuvered Trump lately in the behind-the-scenes battle for delegates in places that don't assign them through traditional primaries or caucuses.
Enter states like North Dakota, and now Colorado.
Both eschewed traditional primary elections and instead held conventions -- where delegates not necessarily bound to any candidate are selected. Cruz saw this as an opportunity anyway to get allies elected to the slate, banking on their support in the event of an open convention.
The candidate, after picking up more likely delegate allies than Trump in last weekend's North Dakota convention, has been on a roll in Colorado.
Thirty-four delegates are at stake in the convention process, and the Cruz campaign told Fox News on Friday afternoon it has picked up 15 delegates so far in a series of local GOP meetings. The process culminates Saturday at the state convention where a final 13 delegates will be selected.
In Colorado, delegates can pledge themselves to a candidate or run unbound. Those who do pledge only do so for the first round of voting at the convention in Cleveland. The Cruz campaign says the pro-Cruz delegates selected so far are a mix of pledged and unbound but say they will back Cruz in Cleveland.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Cruz is Mitt’s sock puppet and the GOPe’s butt boy. Next Cruz will be stroking Mitch McConnell.
No, the normal process is getting the 1237 delegates. Rules in place for years are now getting scrutiny because the primary season has gone on longer. Trump has hired Romney’s delegate organizer to do the very same thing that Cruz has done so brilliantly while Trump was ill-prepared- but I guess that’s okay with you.
Yes, Trump did have a lot of media exposure, the media couldn’t believe a non-dc-insider could gain so much media attention. The original 15 began to drop out. Then there was 3 (with Rubio holding onto his delegates). Kasich, I think is a spoiler and in the end will give his delegates to Cruz, as will Rubio). The GOPe has kept Kasich in the running (poor thing) to make sure Donald Trump will not win.
A McConnel PAC has been giving money to Cruz since December 2015 to make sure he takes delegates from Trump. When the final delegates (after cruz stealing) Kasich and Rubio will give their delegates to cruz. I imagine this will improve their bank accounts.
I remember a high school football coach coming before the school board protesting his dismissal. He argued vehemently that although his team rarely scored a touchdown and never won a game, they always made more first downs than any other team. Adequate offence, poor defence and absolutely terrible excuse. He heard those famous words: You're fired.
“The are of the deal” kind of pays NO attention to the voters and to heck if the citizens want their delegates to vote for other that cruZ? The delegates are for sale? Then why do citizens vote? Why have a caucus?
Weasel Canadian lawyers everywhere agree with you.
The Trumpets are angry cause we be beating em.
Ha! That’s pretty funny. Manafort the true conservative who has worked with those stalwarts of conservatism....Ford, Dole, and the Bushes. I thought associating with the Bushes proved you were a GOPe insider; did that change?
I’m sure this was just an oversight on your part, but you left Reagan off the list. Manafort worked for Reagan on ‘80.
You are impervious to facts. Why is Trump trying to get 1237 delegates? Why has he hired Romney’s delegate wrangler? Have a great evening.
Cruz can do whatever he wants. Trump got the votes at the ballot box. No Trump voters, No GOP in November. It would bea holocaust on the GOP ticket from top to bottom. Would be a lot of unemployed GOPers so that’s not going to happen.
Cruz is just trying to make it so messy that Trump loses the general and he can run in 2022. So we get all this psywar BS. No worries.
Very bizarre situation that the Cruz campaign is engaged in and the Cruz campaign continues to be very brazen and boastful about their attempt to disenfranchise the voters. No doubt they have tried this in every state, so it's not about, well this is what every nominee before Cruz did mantra. Quite the opposite, Cruz is disgusting in his attempt to disenfranchise millions of voters who want Trump to be the nominee.
Cruz needs to accept that the majority of people prefer Trump. That is a fact.
You obviously are unfamiliar with how things work as what you suggest cannot happen.
Never before has a Republican nominee attempted to over rule the will of the majority of a states electorates wishes in a primary.
Cruz is crass, smarmy and egotistical to think he can be a slick lawyer and over rule people in a state he has barely visited. Cruz’s behavior and actions of going after the delegates in states he lost is very disturbing. Gloat all you want, but just know this is just one more reason why Cruz will continue to lose.
Disenfranchisement Cruz is one of his new names.
Trump: I’ll pay for my own GOPe whores, thank you. Should Trump win he will meet a whole new set of GOPe whores.
Well id Cruz loses to Hillary I will take solace in the fact that we placed the best man to head the ticket.
“Trump will either have it going in or have plans in place to cover any minor shortfalls.”
You people really need to educate yourself as to how this actually works.
Yeah. Meanwhile Ted is frantically fluffing all the establishment elites he can get close to.
Yes, that’s it , lose on supposed principle - again ..although Cruz is very Liberal on a few issues ...
I am not impervious to facts. I just don’t like Canadian weasels and their shenanigans.
They can play this game if they want, but it will end in the destruction of the Republican party. The voters want to take it over and kick out all the bums, but the party apparently has controls in place so that the rubes who vote for Republicans can't do that.
I have heard what Trump is doing compared to a hostile takeover of a corporation, but others have said it is more of a shareholder revolt to replace the board of directors. I think the latter is more apt. However, this corporation has a board that has ways to tell the shareholders to take a hike and go to hell. Of course, by doing that, the corporation will go under, but the board doesn't care, they have all been guaranteed huge golden parachutes.
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