Report: Ted Cruz quietly working to steal Arizona delegates from Donald Trump
Apr 4, 2016, 11:21 AM | Updated: Apr 5, 2016, 10:17 pm
Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas speaks at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, Friday, April 1, 2016, in Camp Hill, Pa. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
PHOENIX — Donald Trump may have been the clear-cut winner of the Arizona presidential preference election, but Ted Cruz is reportedly working to steal those delegates.
The Washington Examiner reports Cruz is recruiting candidates for the 55 available Arizona delegate slots. Republicans will pick their delegates later this month at the state GOP convention.
The three remaining delegate spots will be filled by party leaders.
Because Trump won the state’s election, the delegates will be required to cast their votes for him to become the nominee during the Republican National Convention in July. So how can Cruz take the delegates for himself?
The Texas senator is relying on a brokered convention. The delegates are obligated to vote for the state’s chosen candidate on the first ballot, but can vote as they see fit thereafter.
Insiders who spoke to the Examiner think Cruz has a viable shot at getting support from Arizona delegates.
“Cruz, out of all the campaigns, has the most folks on the ground and has been the most organized,” Michael Noble, a Republican consultant in Arizona who is neutral, told the Washington Examiner on Friday.
“Trump has no real organization in Arizona,” added GOP strategist Sean Noble (no relation) in an email exchange. “Cruz will get most/all Arizona delegates on second ballot.”
Of course, this all depends on Cruz’s ability to beat Trump in several other primaries leading up to the convention.
Trump is still the front-runner and would have to fall short of the 1,237 delegates needed to take the nomination for Cruz’s plan to come to fruition.
