Cruz is playing with fire now.
He is running this contest to try to force a run-off, but if he does that, he himself won’t be picked as the candidate, the candidate will be a failed “mainstream” guy.
It is time for Cruz and Trump to get back together, and wrap this race up. Trump is winning. He needs to be supported against Hillary now, Cruz needs to support Trump, stand down, and then run again next time.
In the meantime, get Cruz a good job with the new administration.
For sure.
I love when people sign up here and are instantly political experts and insiders. Way back when, new sign ups walked small and felt their way around the place before assuming they were on par with people who had been here years or even decades. Or are you an operative in real life?
With 2000 Trump and Cruz delegates, where would the mainstream guy get votes?
The idea of double-agent delegates happens every convention, and might work if 100 or 200 sleepers were needed, but the probable delegate breakdown would require 600 or 700 delegate flips from Trump/Cruz to new candidate X.
He is running to win on the 2nd ballot (if there is one) and he can do it where Trump can't.
The much discussed Rule 40 as currently written would prevent anyone but Mr. Trump and Senator Cruz from having their name placed in nomination. Even if the winner is not decided on the first ballot, their is no provision for anyone to have their name placed in nomination after balloting begins. Granted, the rule could be changed before balloting begins, but the rules committee will be controlled by delegates loyal (not necessarily bound) to one of the non establishment candidates. In the unlikely event a rule change was approved to allow a candidate with no or only a few bound delegates to have their name placed in nomination, the state laws regarding binding of delegates would still be in effect. That being the case, only two candidates would have sufficient numbers of bound delegates to reach the necessary majority by picking up unbound delegates from the available pool.
The old phrase "You can't get there from here" is applicable to the idea of a Romney, Bush, or other establishment candidate galloping in on a white horse to seize the nomination.