Dozens of GOP delegates launch new push to halt Donald Trump
[SIZE=12pt]Dozens of Republican convention delegates are hatching a new plan to block Donald Trump at this summer’s party meetings, in what has become the most organized effort so far to stop the businessman from becoming the GOP presidential nominee.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The moves come amid
declining poll numbers for Trump and growing concern among Republicans that he is squandering his chance to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. Several controversies — including his racial attacks on a federal judge, his renewed call to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States and his support for changing the nation’s gun laws — have raised fears among Republicans that Trump is not really a conservative and is too reckless to run a successful race.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Given the strife, a growing group of anti-Trump delegates is convinced that enough like-minded Republicans will band together in the next month to change party rules and allow delegates to vote for whomever they want at the convention, regardless of who won state caucuses or primaries.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The new push is being run by people who can actually make changes to party rules, rather than by pundits and media figures who have been pining for a Trump alternative. Many of the delegates involved supported Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.) in the primary race but say they are not taking cues from any of Trump’s vanquished opponents. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“This literally is an ‘Anybody but Trump’ movement,” said Kendal Unruh, a Republican delegate from Colorado who is leading the campaign. “Nobody has any idea who is going to step in and be the nominee, but we’re not worried about that. We’re just doing that job to make sure that he’s not the face of our party.”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]...“This isn’t going to go away,” warned Cecil Stinemetz, a delegate from Iowa participating in the new campaign. “Trump or others might say that these are just little groups who won’t do anything and it’ll fizz out — that’s not going to happen. Trump just continues to embarrass himself and his party, and this is not going to let up.”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Several factors will complicate any attempt to stop Trump.[/SIZE]
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First, Unruh’s plan to unbind the delegates will need support from a majority of the convention’s rules committee, which is scheduled to meet July 14 and 15 — just a few days before the convention formally convenes. If the proposal passes the committee, it would need to be ratified by a majority of convention delegates the following week.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Second, several delegates are deeply concerned about what they say are intimidation tactics by Trump, his campaign and some state party leaders.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]One delegate, who commented on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution, wrote in an email that during his state party’s first convention organizing meeting, party leaders told the delegates that if they didn’t vote for Trump, “we would be removed from the floor and replaced with an alternate.”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Recruiting like-minded delegates may also be difficult, because the RNC has yet to release a list of the thousands of people elected to travel to Cleveland as delegates or alternates. A final list of names from each state and territory was due to the RNC on Monday, and party officials are reviewing the names to ensure that no elected delegate or alternate has a criminal record, according to party officials.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Privately, some RNC officials say they doubt that a full list will be released ahead of time. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]RNC Chairman Reince Priebus and other top leaders have said delegates are required to reflect the results of state contests. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]In response, a group of veteran Republican operatives is planning to raise up to $2.5 million to run an advertising campaign arguing that delegates can do whatever they want. The Citizens in Charge Foundation plans to bankroll the outreach campaign. It has paid for the publication of a book by Curly Haugland, a GOP delegate from North Dakota, who argues that delegates are already free to vote for anyone. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“It’s not an effort for a candidate or against a candidate, but it’s an effort to educate people on what their real authority is and have them get the comfort that they’re not alone,” said Eric O’Keefe, a party operative based in Detroit who is a member of the group. “There’s a whole network of like-minded people.”[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]“This is not a play for Cruz or Kasich or Ryan,” O’Keefe said. “I trust the delegates that if they understand their authority, they’ll nominate a good ticket.”[/SIZE]