There was little discord among Delaware Republicans Saturday when they nearly unanimously approved their slate of delegates to the national convention in Cleveland this summer.
That wasn’t always a certainty when some in the national party were angling for a brokered convention to prevent a Donald Trump nomination.
The vote was over in a matter of minutes, with only eight members out of nearly 300 voting against the slate of 16 delegates picked by the state GOP executive committee.
State party chair Charlie Copeland says the move wasn’t surprising after many conversations among party officials in each county, promising that delegates would be unified.
That’s despite the fact that delegates don’t have an obligation to vote for the state’s winner past the first ballot.
“We’re here to represent Republicans in Delaware and Republicans in Delaware said – 60 percent and change – that we like Donald Trump and we get it. We’re here to beat Hillary Clinton and we’re going to be unified to do that,” Copeland said.
Donald Trump steam rolled his way through five Mid-Atlantic and New England States this past Tuesday, and with it, partially crushing the possibility of a brokered convention leading to an outside presidential nominee.
Still, Trump’s party chair and Sussex County Councilman Rob Arlett says ensuring Delaware delegates’ loyalty is a top priority.
“It’s really highly relevant and highly important to make sure it’s understood that the Trump campaign absolutely expects that these 16 delegates be a true reflection of the will of the people of Delaware throughout the process,” Arlett said.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich entered into a tense pact to try and block Trump from gaining enough delegate votes to win the nomination on the first ballot.
But Arlett says he’s not concerned delegates might vote for either candidate on later ballots, though he says one may peel off – declining to identify a specific delegate.
State delegates will cast their votes in Cleveland in mid-July.
