And actually, barring an unusual surge the rest of the way, I don’t think it’s mathematically possible for Cruz to finish close enough to 1,237 himself to win the nomination with nothing more than Rubio’s delegates added to his own. Trump is very likely to end up close enough to a majority in June that he’ll be able to win simply by adding Kasich’s delegates. If Trump plus Kasich equals 51 percent of all delegates (or greater), obviously Cruz plus Rubio equals something less than 50.

But this is true only of the first ballot. Which is why Cruz is working so hard to get his own diehard supporters appointed to Trump's delegate slots in so many states. After the first or second convention ballot, most of them turn into Cruz delegates. A Cruz victory by these means is only possible because Trump has thoroughly neglected the (usually-unimportant) delegate selection process in the states at the district/county/state conventions. Trump finally hired a delegate manager (Manafort) but is allowing Lewandowski to undercut him in various ways as well.

However, this is exactly how 0bama beat Hitlery in 2008, by playing for every delegate and every post-election caucus. So it is far from unknown that locking down your delegates with your own supporters is crucial in a close contest that goes all the way to the convention.

Should failed candidates be allowed to pledge their delegates to other candidates?

What a stupid F'n question.

Isn't this still America? What does this question asker suggest, we strip failed candidates their 1st amendment rights?

What a stupid F'n question.

It isn't stupid. It does seem unlikely. People who have dropped out shouldn't be able to control the outcome of the convention. It is outside the traditions of the party to allow it.

The question here is whether dropout Rubio (or Kasich) can force his delegates to vote for who he wants them to vote for at the convention, at least on the first convention ballot. It opens the door for a lot of mischief by ex-candidates. Making them the kingmakers isn't a very sound exercise in party democracy.

When I say force, I mean it. The rules of GOP conventions are against bound delegates voting for anyone else. So, let's say you have a state like SC and they have 50 delegates bound to Trump on the first ballot. But they decide Trump is a disaster (and that he has repeatedly broken his written legal pledge that he made to appear on the SC GOP ballot) and they want to vote for Cruz. All 50 SC stand up and vote for Cruz. The convention chair would simply read their votes into the record as Trump votes, no matter how much they scream.

The rules are far from perfect but the convention has never allowed faithless bound delegates in the modern era. This is why we have bound delegates, because delegates played all kinds of corrupt games at the convention, no matter who they were selected to vote for or who won their state.

I don't think Trump or Cruz will go for it. And if one does try for such a rule, the other will have enough rules committee delegates to stop it, just like Allah sez.

It isn't stupid. It does seem unlikely. People who have dropped out shouldn't be able to control the outcome of the convention

It is a stupid concept.

So what do you suggest we do with the failed candidates to silence them? Kill them, a lobotomy? What?

On the second ballot, 80% of the delegates will be unbound. On the third ballot, almost 90% will be unbound.

Of course, Rubio and Kasich both have some loyal delegates that will almost certainly vote as Rubio/Kasich tell them to. But others will be free to vote as they wish. This is where Cruz will pick up votes on the second and third ballots because he got his groupies assigned in many states to delegate slots that Trump won. So they are Trump delegates but they are Cruz people who will dump Trump on the second or third ballot, even if they are required to vote for Trump on the first (or second) ballot.

You can see why Trump complains about Cruz working the district/county/state convention system in Louisiana so that Cruz got more delegates even after Trump won the state. But those are the rules. And knowing the rules gets you more delegates.

There are other things that are a bit odd in various states. One of them, PA I think, you have delegate names on the ballot but no indication of who they are supporting. And in PA, both Trump and Cruz have a full set of delegate nominees but Kasich (who polls well there) didn't submit a single delegate name so he can't win any delegates in PA even if he won the whole state! It is odd in that you have to tell the voters in each district which of the two delegate candidates they should vote for in order to vote for Trump or Cruz. That kind of contest does favor Cruz's organizational ability despite Trump's high polling there.

The rules of some of these state parties and the election laws in the states are quite a gauntlet for any candidate to run. But the smart player picks up the most delegates, especially against a rival who isn't paying attention. This is how 0bama beat Hitlery. It is how Cruz hopes to defeat Trump, after Trump missed multiple opportunities to drive a stake through Cruz's heart.

Does Rubio have enough votes to be part of the first ballot? why then is he playing king maker, is this a shot at VP?

I think Rubio would love to be kingmaker or VP. I'm not sure Trump or Cruz will allow it.

But Rubio almost certainly will not have enough states to qualify to appear on the convention ballots since he won 0 states.

I think Rubio's 170+ delegates will have to keep silent. Rubio's name won't be on the ballot and most of Rubio's delegates are bound to vote for him on one or two ballots by state law or party rules.

Rubio keeping them bound is a way of controlling them somewhat but it is very limited how he can use his influence with them to play kingmaker or become somebody's VP.

But make no mistake, Rubio is definitely playing a game with some kind of strategy for the convention, perhaps a scenario that will never materialize but one in which Rubio hopes to play a major role if the convention breaks a certain way. This way, Rubio keeps his own options open.

Some more Delegate Math For Dummies

Remember, Rubio’s taken the unusual step of requesting that the delegates he won in Alaska, Oklahoma, and Washington D.C. remain bound to him on the first ballot at the convention even though he quit the race weeks ago.

Rubio did not quit, he suspended his campaign. Depending on state rules, this provides that his bound delegates remain bound on the first ballot. Some states provide that the delegates are released when a candidate suspends his campaign.

If a few of Rubio’s delegates break for Trump at the same time, no big deal. He won’t be anywhere near 1,237 by then.

This is wishful thinking.

Imagine if Trump shows up in Cleveland with 1,100 delegates, with Cruz trailing with 900.

Trump would need to add 317. Cruz would have to add 383. Presumably Kasich would add 182.

Why not go big and imagine Cruz with 1300 and Trump with 1000? It is an equally likely possibility.

http://www.politico.com/2016-election/results/delegate-count-tracker

743 -- Trump
517 -- Cruz
171 -- Rubio
143 -- Kasich

831 -- Cruz, Rubio, and Kasich

838 -- What Trump will have if he sweeps NY for 95.

882 -- delegates remaining.

787 -- delegates remaining after NY primary (95).

“If he doesn’t get over 50 percent, he should probably consider dropping out, like everyone else has when they don’t win their home state in a dramatic fashion,” Cruz campaign manager Jeff Roe said in an interview on ABC News’ “Powerhouse Politics” podcast Thursday.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=texas+primary+results

In Texas, Cruz got 43.8%, and by his own Texas values he should have dropped out.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=ohio+primary

In Ohio, Kasich got 46.8%, and according to Cruz' Texas values, should have dropped out.

In NY, Trump is on a path to gain a majority.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/ny/new_york_republican_presidential_primary-4222.html

Monmouth		52	25	17	Trump +27
CBS News/YouGov		52	20	21 	Trump +31
Quinnipiac		56	19	20	Trump +36
Liberty Research (R)	55	22	19	Trump +33
0ptimus (R)*		50	24	16	Trump +26

Cruz is on a path to leave him struggling to get double digits. So far, his NY campaign has been a school visit in the Bronx that had to be called off due to a called student walkout, another venue with about 100 people that inspired the NY Daily News to tell Cruz to take the FU train and leave town. He went to Scotia, NY (7,729 pop., 2010 census) and visited a religious private school (305 students in grades K-12). There, he spoke in a gymnasium to a crowd of about 500 people.

http://www.wktv.com/news/Ted_Cruz__rally_in_Scotia.html

Republican Presidential Candidate Ted Cruz spoke to a crowd of about 500 people at Mekeel Christian Academy in Scotia Thursday morning. The enthusiastic crowd didn't seem to mind waiting 48 minutes for the 10:30am rally to start. Cruz knows he needs more than the loyal supporters in the upstate New York gymnasium if he wants to secure the Republican nomination for president. So he dispatched them.

"I'm not suggesting voter fraud, but if everyone here goes and picks up the phone and you call 9 other people and you get them to come out and vote, you will have voted ten times," said Cruz.

http://www.eventbrite.com/o/cruz-for-president-8321610348

Cruz is leaving New York to campaign in California. When the going gets tough, Ted runs out of town. Perhaps he took the FU train.

http://www.politico.com/2016-election/results/delegate-count-tracker
743 -- Trump
517 -- Cruz
171 -- Rubio
143 -- Kasich

I think Trump got 6 out of WI by carrying two districts in northwestern WI, Cruz got 36.

749 -- Trump
553 -- Cruz
171 -- Rubio
143 -- Kasich

Cruz is leaving New York to campaign in California. When the going gets tough, Ted runs out of town. Perhaps he took the FU train.