Ted Cruz's and Marco Rubio's supporters have teamed up in Arkansas to pack the state delegation with individuals who'll turn against Donald Trump in a contested convention.
Since Rubio ended his presidential bid March 15, his network of party insiders has lined up behind Cruz to win delegates who'd vote for the Texas senator once they're no longer bound to Trump in a floor fight. Trump won Arkansas' GOP primary March 1 with 32.8 percent of the vote compared to Cruz's 30.5 percent and Rubio's 24.9 percent. But Cruz's canny operatives, with Rubio riding shotgun, is likely to thwart Trump in the delegate election.
Trump's organization is as sloppy in Arkansas as elsewhere, just as Cruz's is an efficient machine in state after state. This could ding the Donald, costing him as many as 25 delegates after a first inconclusive ballot. Cruz, who finished with 15 out of the available 40 delegates in primary voting, stands to gain all 16 Trump delegates and the 9 won by Rubio.
Bart Hester, a top Rubio organizer in Arkansas, said he's filling Rubio's delegate slate with individuals committed to opposing Trump in Cleveland. "I would certainly hope it would be someone who has a leaning toward Cruz rather than Trump," Hester, a state senator, told the Washington Examiner on Monday.
"I've got a great working relationship with the state director for Rubio and I think generally what we're looking for is about the same," added state Rep. Bob Ballinger, Cruz's Arkansas co-chairman. "We'll be working together to make sure the right delegates are selected."
According to Arkansas GOP rules, Rubio's nine delegates are bound to vote for him on the first ballot in Cleveland, even though he suspended his White House bid and stopped actively campaigning nearly a month ago. Most high profile Arkansas Republicans endorsed Rubio heading into the state's Super Tuesday, "SEC" primary contest.
A list of big name delegate candidates, and which candidates they are pledging to support, reveals the institutional support for Cruz and Rubio in Arkansas (none are listed as potential delegates for Ohio Gov. John Kasich.) Some Republicans on this list, obtained by the Examiner, appear to be keeping their options open. Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton are running to join slates fielded by Cruz, Rubio and Trump; so is Rep. Bruce Westerman.
But the rest of the Arkansas' federal delegation, and the state's top two officials in Little Rock, are for Cruz, Rubio, or both. Rep. Rick Crawford is running as a Rubio delegate; Rep. French Hill to support Cruz or Rubio; and Rep. Steve Womack to back Rubio. Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin are running as Rubio delegates. High profile state and federal lawmakers are basically assured of winning delegate slots.
That is just one reason why the delegation that arrives in Cleveland is likely to be dominated by "never Trump" forces. The other is Trump's lax effort to post delegate candidates that he can depend on to defend his winnings from the primary.
"The Trump Campaign continues what seems to be an ecletic version of a campaign," said a GOP insider in Arkansas, who requested anonymity in order to speak candidly. "They're not sending their preferred list, they're not having people vetted to make sure they're Trump people."
Trump leads in the race for 1,237 Republican nominating delegates, equal to 50 percent plus one, with 743. Cruz sits at 545 after sweeping delegate elections in Colorado over the weekend, and Kasich trails with 143. Most delegates are only bound to vote for the candidate that won the primary or caucus in their state on the first or second ballot on the convention floor.
After that, the delegates become free agents.
By working delegate elections in precincts, counties and states Trump won, including Arkansas, Cruz is loading slates with loyalists who are pledging to support him for the nomination once unbound. In many of these contests, the Trump campaign has suffered from disorganization — or from being absent from the process. Delegate candidates tend to be comprised of grassroots party regulars, another factor that could hurt Trump.
In Arkansas, delegates will be elected in a series of local elections in April, culminating with meeting of the state central committee on May 14. Candidates had to meet a Feb. 19 deadline to file to run. The Cruz campaign was actively engaged in recruiting candidates going back several months. The Trump campaign was, and remains, largely absent, Arkansas GOP insiders say, mirroring the front-runner's problems in other states.
"They seem to be going Sen. Cruz's way," Marcela White, Cruz's political coordinator in Arkansas, said of the fight for delegates. "It looks good for him."
Reached by telephone, a grassroots organizer for Trump in Arkansas referred the Examiner to a more senior member of the billionaire's team in the state. At press time, that individual had not returned a voice mail requesting comment.
