Last Man Standing
By Guest Editor GM of St. Charles County, MO
The choice is clear. There is only one Anti-Establishment candidate for the GOP Presidential nomination left standing, the leading contender - Donald J. Trump. He is the only remaining candidate with the potential to reach the required 1,237 delegates prior to the Republican Convention in July and the one who Republican power brokers fear most. The GOP is backing Ted Cruz - big time - in an attempt to thwart Trump's ability to reach the magic number.
Most people think the process ends there. Wrong! The focus now turns to those individuals who must cast the votes representing their State's delegates. They are committed to vote in accordance with the wishes of their State's electorate as decided in the Primary Election - but on the first ballot only.
For the uninitiated, it is important to understand that, if Trump has not acquired, through the Primary Election process, a minimum of 1,237 delegates committed to vote for him on the first ballot at the Convention that would win him the nomination, it moves to an "Open or Contested Convention." At that point, "all bets are off" and delegates to the Convention may vote for anyone of their choice on all subsequent ballots. This is what keeps the hopes of Cruz, Kasich and all the other hopefuls alive. In Missouri, as in other states, the Cruz team is working overtime to "stack the deck" with their supporters.
How does this work and what is the significance? Individuals selected to represent each State at the Convention are determined through the caucus process. Each state selects these individuals through a three-step process - a County, a District and a State caucus. At each meeting representatives are picked to move to the next level until, at the State caucus, the actual representatives to attend the Convention are finalized. Throughout this process each Presidential candidate's campaign works to get their supporters selected as representatives so that, should the nomination not be decided on the first ballot, their supporters can vote for their candidate on all subsequent ballots. This process then continues until a majority is achieved. (Note: If Trump and Cruz joined forces at this point, they could forge a clear majority, but right now that does not seem likely.)
So for Trump advocates the objectives are two-fold. First, work hard to win the remaining delegates required to reach 1,237 through the Primary Election process and, thereby, "seal the deal." Second, ensure that those representatives selected to attend the Convention are "Truly Trump Supporters" and can be counted upon to cast their votes for Trump on ALL ballots.
Of course, Establishment and Washington power brokers could intervene and change the rules at any juncture if things are not going their way, but the conventional wisdom suggests that this could result in a major upheaval within the Party. As Trump advocates, we are attempting to strengthen the Republican Party, not destroy it, through broadening its membership and moving the power to the people. It is critical that each of us does our part to ensure success. The future of the United States and its role in the world is at stake.
