Ted Cruz is back in the news today as he’s apparently not willing to let go of his delegates before the convention in order to give himself more clout at the convention:
CNN – Ted Cruz is not releasing his delegates in at least three states, a sign he may hold onto some clout at this summer’s Republican National Convention.
Cruz sent a letter to Republican state parties in at least Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas on Monday informing them that he plans to keep the delegates he won bound to him.
Kansas delegates are particularly key: They are required to remain with whomever they are pledged to until the candidate officially releases them — unlike most states, they are not allowed to vote their conscience unless explicitly given permission, which Cruz isn’t giving them.
“Although I have suspended my campaign for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States, I do not release any Republican National Convention delegates bound to me as a result of the 2016 delegate selection process that took place in your state,” Cruz wrote in a letter to Kelly Arnold, the chair of the Kansas GOP and obtained by CNN.
Oklahoma’s Republican Party received a similar letter from the Cruz campaign, state GOP chair Pam Pollard told CNN. As did the Texas GOP, according to executive director Kyle Whatley.
Cruz representatives did not respond to request for comment.
Here’s more:
POLITICO – Ted Cruz and two of his closest allies told supporters on a conference call Monday night that they are not planning to challenge Donald Trump’s nomination at the Republican National Convention in July, according to multiple sources who took part.
The call was led by Ken Cuccinelli, the former attorney general of Virginia who has played a key role in Cruz’s delegate operation. Tony Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council, also joined the call, as did Cruz himself, who gave a brief statement.
The 25-minute call was a pep talk of sorts after the disappointment of last week’s Indiana primary, which forced Cruz to end his campaign and cemented Trump as the GOP’s presumptive nominee.
But the call was also a rallying cry to Cruz’s supporters about the importance of showing up in Cleveland and not ceding control of their slots on the party’s platform and rules committees.
“They made a point of saying, ‘This is not something nefarious we’re plotting at the convention,’” said Rep. Ken Buck, who chaired Cruz’s campaign in Colorado and is planning to attend the convention as a delegate. “The Cruz team really just wants to make sure the platform reflects conservative values so that conservatives are excited about turning out this November and in the future.”
Cruz, who spoke for four minutes, thanked supporters while acknowledging their disappointment along with his own. Asked to characterize Cruz’s remarks, one source on the call replied, “disappointed in [the] result, but no direct call to challenge Trump nomination. Simply to show up in Cleveland to protect [the] platform.”
As Dana Loesch said on Twitter yesterday, I’m not sure why the platform matters if the nominee doesn’t share its views. But I’m glad Ted Cruz is still willing to fight for it.