Marco Rubio is working to play a role at the Republican National Convention even as his rivals scramble to pick off convention delegates claimed by the Florida senator before he suspended his campaign.
Rubio has sent letters to Republican officials in states where he has won delegates, charging he wants to keep his delegates, even though he’s no longer an active candidate.
Representatives from Rubio’s network said the former candidate wants to retain his delegates in order to keep his options open in the coming months. Campaigns are preparing for the possibility of a contested national convention in July that could feature an intense fight for every available delegate.
The Rubio representatives spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about Rubio’s intentions. The Florida senator suspended his campaign in mid-March, but not before accumulating 171 delegates, a trove that could help Republican front-runner Donald Trump secure the nomination — or help stop him.
Rubio, an aggressive Trump critic, could play a significant role at the national convention should he retain influence over a significant number of delegates.
Officials from the Oklahoma and Alaska GOP say they have received letters from Rubio’s campaign. His campaign staff is no longer being paid, but many remain loyal and willing to help Rubio in the coming months.
Alaska had already divvied up Rubio’s five delegates to Trump and Ted Cruz. However, since the actual people have not been selected yet, the state party said the delegates will go back to Rubio.
In Oklahoma, state party Chairwoman Pam Pollard said she received a letter from Rubio saying he has not released his 12 delegates from that state.
Selecting the people who will be delegates at the national convention is a tedious process governed by rules that vary from state to state. The system favors political insiders who understand the arcane rules.
In Minnesota, for example, Rubio won the state but his 17 delegates will go to the convention as free agents, free to support the candidate of their choice, said Chris Fields, deputy chair of the Minnesota GOP.
Fields said he expects Rubio’s rivals to have supporters at the party’s state convention in May to influence who gets chosen as a Rubio delegate.
“They should if they want to win, right?” Fields said.
The three remaining Republican candidates are ramping up efforts to win over Rubio’s delegates, in addition to claiming dozens more unbound delegates, in the contentious battle for the 1,237 delegate majority required to win the GOP presidential nomination.
Trump, with 736 delegates, is the only candidate with a realistic path to clinching the nomination by the end of the primaries on June 7. But it’s a narrow path. And his Republican rivals are fighting to deny him the majority and force a contested convention.
Acknowledging a late start in the nuts-and-bolts business of political wrangling, Trump’s campaign will open a Washington, D.C. office in the coming days to run its delegate operation and congressional relations team, said campaign senior adviser Barry Bennett.
In addition to the new space, Trump has hired a veteran political operative to serve as the campaign’s convention manager. Paul Manafort, a seasoned Washington hand, will oversee the campaign’s “entire convention presence” including a potential contested convention, said Bennett.
“We started ramping up a couple of weeks ago, but we’re rolling now,” Bennett said of Trump’s delegate outreach efforts.
Tuesday’s moves mark a major escalation in Trump’s willingness to play by party rules and build alliances in a political system he has so far shunned.
A dispute in Louisiana highlights the potential impact of even a handful of Rubio delegates — and Trump’s need to court them.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was campaigning in Wisconsin ahead of the April 5 primary, where a loss for Trump could narrow his path to the nomination. However, Cruz campaign officials acknowledged they have been charting out a convention strategy for weeks, but declined to share details.
“We are prepared to take it to a convention if it comes to that,” Cruz’s national press secretary Catherine Frazier said. “There is a system in place to secure delegates and we have an aggressive well organized effort to do so.”
Rubio won five delegates in Louisiana’s March 5 primary, who became free agents after he suspended his campaign.
At Louisiana’s subsequent GOP convention, Cruz’s campaign secured all of Rubio’s delegates, as well as five others who were uncommitted. As a result, Cruz could end up with more delegates from Louisiana, even though Trump narrowly won the state’s popular vote.
Trump adviser Ed Brookover promised Trump would have “an active presence” at every one of the upcoming lower-profile conventions and caucuses where delegates are selected. That includes this weekend’s state convention in North Dakota, where 25 delegates will be selected. All of them — in addition to the state’s three national committee members — will be free to support the candidate of their choosing at the GOP’s national convention.
Ben Carson will appear in North Dakota on Trump’s behalf, Brookover said, as part of outreach efforts that include hospitality suites for delegates, campaign surrogates, parliamentarians and support staff for all upcoming contests.
Representatives from Rubio’s political operation declined to comment publicly on his delegate outreach.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Rubio keeps digging his own hole deeper and deeper. Someday he ask Trump For help and Trump will tell him to get bent!
I thought “bubble boy” gaytard rUbio was not going for re-election as a senator? Getting out of politics? Is this guy for real? Or is this article BS?
Rubio will NEVER get my vote again! NEVER! No matter what!! How dare he try to take away the voting rights of the American people…believe me that is exactly what he and the Political elite are trying to do. Trump just got my vote!
Like the way you think. I am still trying to figure out how you can win a state and get lessdelegates than the looser. RNC and the establishment are going to screw Trump out of nomination. I will write his name in anyway. They can say that will be a vote for Hillary. Then so be it. The establishment can kiss my ads.
Rubio is not trying to take anyone’s rights away. He won those delegates. He suspended his campaign. He did not end his campaign so legally he can retain the delegates he won should he wish to get back in the race.
Get back in the race & do what? He has zero chance of being elected president.
You got that right!
Trump already had my vote by people like Rubio and Romney and the GOP in general are making me sick right now. If they pull anything, I’m done with them after 30 years. They keep putting forth they’re Rhino candidates and they keep losing! Trump in ’16!!!
It is a real shame that people have no idea that delegates are released after the first ballot in most states! Some are released after the 3rd!!!! Lincoln did not win on the first ballot either but I guess no one backing Trump will understand.
SO, MORE OF THE GOVERNMENT TAKING RIGHTS AWAY FROM AMERICANS. THIS IS NOT A DEMOCRACY, WHERE “LITTLE” RUBIO IS ALLOWED TO KEEP HIS? DELEGATES? MINIPULATING THE VOTES & DENYING THE AMERCANS THEIR CHOICE OF LEADERSHIP. WE ARE SERFS!
You are correct, AW! This is not a Democracy, it is a Constitutional Republic! A democracy is “MOB RULE”, un- limited majority rule. Without a Constitution limiting what 51% are allowed to do, 49% are hung out to dry! The states get to decide the process, by which they select leaders. All politics are local! If you don’t like it, go to work and change it!
Trump will sound horn. He is a fighter and will over come these low life politicians. As said above , Rubio will never get my vote and I was a supporter .done!
Now you know why cubans lost their own country. They ran a dictatorship throughout their history and finally they lost everything!! That is why I would never vote for a cuban for anything!! They are corrupt to the core, mistreated their black large population and are disloyal.!!! They are mostly smart though.!!!
GO MR. TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT!!!!
Rubio is a little cancer and cockroach who leaves his droppings on every thing he touches. That’s what rats and roaches do. Once people start booing this parasite every time he shows his high heels in public, he needs to feel the despicable wrath of “WE THE PEOPLE” he was not boy wonder, he was not honest, he has zero integrity and his is a panty waste like Jeb Bush and his family
Wait, those votes were his, and if that’s the case, he can do what he wants with them……right???. Ok, if that’s correct, then what the problem, look many people know that Trump, Clinton, and the guy from Ohio would be the worst things stopping short of Obama again, but wait…….Clinton, would continue the Obama show but with additions, Trump, all he could and would do is send his goons to cause problems for the country, and the guy from Ohio, all he would want to do is “work together”, if ANYONE looks around, you see what that has done for the country!.
Am, I a non Trump person, no, not really, but, I am a person who knows that Mr. Trump is no more qualified to run that Office, then Obama was, Trump, has no knowledge of what’s going on in the world, let alone of what’s going on in the country, the questions that he has been asked as they relate to the running of the Govt. the make up of the National Defense, the different branches of the Govt. the man has NO CLUE, and it’s beginning to show, and……well, maybe it’s best that he just continue to run his many business, because to preside over a nation as large and diverse as this country needs something different.
Just, remember the past (8) yrs with Obama, what did we know of him, and in the final……with Mr. Trump, he has admitted that he has given to every know politico on the face of the American country, and for what reason….for HIS business, and if you ask yourself truthful questions and accept the answers, what have you gotten from ALL of Mr. Trumps deals?.
Vincent marcantelli. So who do YOU think can do the job? Cruz??? The Canadian uneligible creepy bible lifting liar? Or, Kasich. The idiot that is for TPP and NAFTA??? Oh…or you think beetle boots,bubble boy can swoop Back in and win??
You are obviously clueless.
Trump has Enough experience to be a president. To be OUR PRESIDENT. He knows how to create JOBS. Something that NONE of these other losers have EVER even attempted. Wake up Vincent
Trump 2016
In my own personal opinion, I feel that when Rubio suspended his official campaign effort he as much as threw in the towel and should have the common decency to release his delegates to now choose the candidate of their choice to support at the convention. Any action beyond that point relegates him to a “spoiled brat” status unworthy to be considered at all for any consideration at the convention.
Rubio is tripping. He doesn’t like the job he has. His most recent announcement he made was he’ll finish out the year and then he is totally out of politics. Kasich wants a contested convention. Now, Rubio is angling for a brokered convention. Both of whom have been anchoring the last and second-to-the-last positions in the list of remaining candidates. No pride. The people voting are letting them know they do not want them, but that doesn’t matter to them. Why not? Because, for them, the job is not about The People. Their job is to get into the WH and then their job is done. RNC and former Republican also-rans are deliberately afoot, knee-deep in dirty politics to block Trump from the nomination. Tells me the Republican Party would rather lose than have an apolitical, honest President who will not engage Special Interest Groups, Lobbyists, big money “investors” and who wants to Make America Great Again. Contested or brokered, if Trump is not the nominee, I will, as many, many others will vote for him as a WRITE-IN. And, I will kiss the Republican Party good-bye. Cruz has sold out so he’d be same ole, same ole…corrupt oppressive government. So, Go Bernie! This Republican Party is not the one I signed up with.
This is all ridicules, go back to counting VOTES of the people period ! We don’t need delegates and we don’t need the
electoral college, We don’t need a convention where politics gets involved, just count the citizens votes, that is all that is needed.
All Donald Trump has to do to take down “Lying Ted”, “Little Rubio”, “Loud Mouth Romney” and all the others that just want to “Stop Trump”, is run as an Independent, if he doesn’t get 1,237 delegates. When all the states have voted and if Donald has the most votes and the “Insider Republicans” won’t get behind Donald Trump for the nominee, then it would be time for Trump to “Dump the Stump” and run as an “Independent”. “Oh”, I can hear a lot of you saying “All that would do is give your vote to the other party” and the Republicans would lose. And I say to you, “What Republicans”. Are you talking about “Lying Ted”, “Little Rubio”, “Loud Mouth Romney” and all the big shot insiders? Really?? Really?? Is that what you want? Trump to the insiders, ” I’ll be your nominee if you want ” or you can all just go implode yourself. “With Me” or “Against Me”.
Alert. Alert, Cruz tapes to be released, 2 of the escorts coming forward to be interviewed by CBS. Listen Wi.