'Trump can't be Republican nominee without enough delegates'
March 21, 2016 18:54
In some disturbing news to Donald Trump, the Republican National Committee chairman has made it clear that he would not back the controversial front-runner's argument that the candidates with the most delegates should automatically win the party's presidential nomination.
Reince Priebus said that if no candidate wins the 1,237 delegates necessary to clinch the party's nomination before the convention in Cleveland in June, it was up to Republican delegates to decide how to go forward.
"This is a delegate-driven process. This is the first time in a long time people actually cared about delegate count, but delegates matter," Priebus said ahead of key primaries in Arizona and Utah on Tuesday.
"The minority of delegates doesn't rule for the majority," Priebus told CNN.
"No one's disenfranchised. In fact, they're empowered by the delegates they receive," he said.
Under rules, in the event of a brokered convention, the Republican Party could feasibly end up choosing a nominee who was not a formal candidate.
With 678 delegates won so far, 69-year-old Trump remains the far-and-away front-runner in his party's delegate count.
To get the magic figure of 1,237 delegates, the outspoken real estate mogul would have to win more than 60 per cent of the remaining delegates, a difficult feat he could accomplish only by winning the remaining 19 Republican contests with about approximately 40 per cent support, New York Daily News reported.
45-year-old Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who has emerged as the most likely candidate to overtake Trump, has so far won just 423 delegates, making it even more difficult for him to ultimately win the necessary majority, it said.
TOP STORIES
© 2024 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances