If U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) doesn’t win the GOP presidential nomination, he’s going to at least make it very interesting for everyone involved.
Less than 24 hours after locking up the district delegates in all seven of Colorado’s congressional districts, he secured the votes of all of the statewide delegates at the Colorado Republican State Convention on Saturday. That sweep gives him 34 more delegates in his quest for 1,237 before the Republican National Convention later this summer.
The message from the Cruz camp was clear: the tide is turning.
“Today was another resounding victory for conservatives, Republicans, and Americans who care about the future of our country,” the senator said. “Utah, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and tonight’s incredible results in Colorado have proven this: Republicans are uniting behind our campaign because they want a leader with real solutions who will bring back jobs, freedom, and security.
“This election is about the hope that our children can still have a more promising landscape of opportunity than generations past. It’s about bringing together Americans from all backgrounds who know that we will be stronger, more prosperous, and infinitely more free if we return power in Washington back to the people. So that Americans are free to create better jobs, live and worship freely, and once again proudly defend ‘the last best hope of earth.'”
Colorado has 37 delegates. The remaining three are the state party chairman and the national committeeman and committeewoman, who are not bound to vote for any particular candidate.
That wasn’t the only good news on Saturday for the Cruz campaign. Also on Saturday were the district conventions in Iowa’s four congressional districts. While delegates in that state are bound to the outcome of the precinct caucuses held in February for the first vote, they are free to vote their conscience on all subsequent ballots.
Reports from the district conventions were a little conflicting, but Cruz has the support of at least 11 of the 12 district delegates, should there be more than one ballot at the Republican National Convention. Some reports suggested he had the support of all 12.
Those delegates aren’t required to vote for anyone after the first vote, but their current pledges of loyalty does play to the Cruz campaign’s narrative that they can win a contested convention. Regardless, it’s more good news as the daunting challenge of the New York Primary looms ahead.
The Empire State votes on April 19. There are 95 delegates at stake in a winner-take-all format that awards all but the 14 statewide delegates on a district-by-district basis.
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