5/14/16, "State GOP leaders crush 'Never Trump’ rebellions," Politico, Kyle Cheney
"Across the country, state party leaders are pushing activists to get in line."
"Republican activists chose party unity over “never Trump” resistance
Saturday, with party leaders in one state after another pressuring their
members to fall in line behind the presumptive nominee — and even
punishing those who refused.
Eleven states held annual Republican conventions or party leadership
meetings Saturday, offering a platform for those who still object to
Donald Trump as their party’s standard-bearer a prime opportunity to
make mischief. But at almost every turn, they slammed into state leaders
who closed ranks around a candidate who many once said they’d never
support.
In Nebraska, that meant overwhelming passage of a resolution that
indirectly scolded conservative Sen. Ben Sasse for leading the
#NeverTrump movement and scuttling a countermeasure to condemn
“degrading remarks toward women, minorities and other individuals” by
presidential candidates.
In Maryland, it meant the ouster of a veteran Republican committeeman
— Louis Pope — by Citizens United chief David Bossie, a conservative
activist who is close to Trump and closely associated with the rise of
super PACs in American politics. Bossie has been a longtime ally of
Trump and represents an early look at how Trump’s takeover of the party
could reshape it for years.
.........
In Arkansas, it meant packing the state’s national delegation with
Trump allies and granting them influential leadership positions to shape
Republican Party rules and policy doctrines at the convention.
Across the country, party leaders encouraged, coaxed and even
browbeat their rank and file into a message of unity. And they did it by
way of a consistent message: Trump is flawed, but Hillary Clinton would
be far, far worse.
Oklahoma and Montana conventions shared a common mantra: "United We
Stand." In Montana, walls of posters interspersing Trump's "Make America
Great Again" signs with campaign posters for Congressman Ryan Zinke and
gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte reinforced the theme. In
Wisconsin, local reports indicated that even former Trump critics were nudging their allies into backing the mogul.
That message carried over into the selection of delegates to the
national convention. In all, nearly 400 were picked on Saturday at these
11 party meetings— about one in every six that will fill seats in
Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena in July.
Sources in Ted Cruz’s orbit had suggested the Texas senator would
still be a factor in delegate battles over the weekend, flexing his
muscle among conservative activists to try and retain a position of
influence at the national convention. But that plan appeared to fizzle.
In Nevada, at least 13 of 15 statewide delegates were pro-Trump.
In Kansas,
a state Cruz won easily, Secretary of State Kris Kobach — a prominent
Trump supporter — was selected to be a delegate.
In Florida, where
former Gov. Jeb Bush helped build today's GOP leadership, most of the 14
delegates selected Saturday were supportive of Trump.
And in Nebraska,
where Cruz backers indicated they'd attempt to overtake the delegation,
21 of the 36 members picked Saturday had endorsed Trump. Only two
opposed him, and the rest were undeclared.
Even in Texas, where Cruz allies appeared poised to make a home-state
stand, the statewide delegation tilted toward party insiders rather
than anti-Trump leaders. Gov. Greg Abbott, former Gov. Rick Perry and
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — who pleaded for party unity at the convention on
Friday -- were picked to go to Cleveland.
There were, of course, lingering indications of discontent. Maryland
Gov. Larry Hogan skipped the Maryland GOP convention and hasn't backed
Trump, according to The Baltimore Sun.
In Texas, Cruz's father Rafael earned a delegate slot.
In Nebraska, former GOP chair Mark Fahleson — a top ally of Sasse — was selected as well.
Still, it was a far cry from scenes a month ago, when state
conventions were tense affairs driven by Cruz’s bid to secure enough
loyal delegates to wrest the nomination from Trump at a contested
convention.
This weekend, according to sources on the ground in a handful of
states holding conventions, delegate selection affairs largely lacked
that tension.
Instead, what clashes there were appeared to be over personal
disputes — from tension between Sasse and senior Nebraska Sen. Deb
Fischer to jockeying between different factions of Trump supporters in
Nevada to a squabble over a gay marriage plank in the Texas platform.
The meetings were far more akin to the delegate battles in elections
past, when delegate selection competitions had little to do with picking
the party’s nominee and were driven largely by local power struggles."
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