3:07
- ABC News
- March 30, 2016
Signs the GOP Is Heading for a Showdown in Cleveland
The campaigns are accepting that there could be a contested convention.
This has already shifted the delegate allocation in Alaska. Previously, Rubio’s delegates had been re-apportioned to Trump and Cruz, but now they will go back to Rubio.
\"Of course, he's no longer a candidate [but he] wants to give voters a chance to stop Trump,\" Rubio spokesman Alex Burgos told ABC News.
Beefing Up Convention Staff
Tracking delegates is a complex game. Each state has different allocation rules and formulas for acquiring delegates and keeping delegates bound to candidates after they drop out. In a contested convention, where every delegate counts, keeping up with these rules, and maintaining a high level of organization, is crucial.
Trump announced on March 29 that he had hired attorney and political operative Paul J. Manafort to manage his convention strategy, and was opening an office in Washington, D.C., to coordinate with Congress and the RNC.
Manafort managed President Gerald Ford’s nomination at the 1976 convention, which was contested, and successfully staved off a challenge from Ronald Reagan.
Trump leads Cruz by over 200 delegates. The New York businessman recently tweeted that he was being treated unfairly and threatened a lawsuit over the possibility that Cruz could come out of Louisiana with more delegates by gaining the support of Rubio’s delegates.
Just to show you how unfair Republican primary politics can be, I won the State of Louisiana and get less delegates than Cruz-Lawsuit coming
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2016
According to the Louisiana GOP executive director, none of the Rubio delegates have officially committed to Cruz but the Trump camp is clearly gearing up for that possibility.
ABC News' Ines De La Cuetara contributed reporting.
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