Maine Delegation Flip-Flops on Crucial Convention Vote

His campaign manager, Jeff Roe, noted to reporters before the rally that there’s “six hours left” for Cruz to make that call from the convention podium.

For a short time, ME was one of the states where a majority of delegates to the national GOP convention in Cleveland signed a petition to force a roll call vote on the convention rules, opening the door to a Stop Trump movement.

Sen. Ted Cruz on stage before the opening of the third day of the Republican National Convention on Wednesday.

A chorus of boos arose – before turning into jeers as Trump’s private 757 airplane flew threw the sky at that moment directly behind the backdrop of Cruz’s stage.

“I think at this point it’s pretty obvious who the nominee is going to be”, he said Monday, adding that he would not comment on how he feels about voting for Trump.

He said their operations have been “talking back and forth” about Cruz’s planned speech.

“And to those listening, please, don’t stay home in November”, Cruz said.

“He’s a chicken”, said Eugene Delgaudio, a delegate from Sterling, Virginia, who clucked like a chicken when asked about Cruz’s decision. And if Trump does lose and send the GOP toward soul searching, Cruz allies see him as an elixir, an unblemished Republican who stuck to principle unlike possible rivals Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan or Mike Pence, who all have backed Trump. Nor is he expected to in his speech, which was carefully screened by Trump campaign officials, the senator’s aides said. Trump’s son Donald Jr. reportedly approached Kasich’s team after he dropped out, promising to make him “the most powerful vice president in history”, the New York Times wrote. Emerging from shadows, he declared, “We’re going to win, we’re going to win so big”. Because Ted Cruz has decided that he knows better? It’s aimed at what the campaign says are the 40 million-plus people who speak Spanish in the United States.

“The hope was more to encourage these conservative delegates and continue building the party from the grassroots, ” Cuccinelli said.

“In an unbelievable campaign field of 17 talented dynamic candidates, we beat 15 of those candidates”, Cruz told supporters, adding: “We just didn’t beat 16”.

Alex Willette, the Republican national committeeman for ME, is working with Trump’s campaign to ensure proposed rule changes don’t upend Trump’s nomination.

Cruz still hasn’t endorsed Trump after their bitter primary battle that saw the eventual GOP nominee retweet a supporter’s unflattering photo of Cruz’s wife, Heidi, and suggest that Cruz’s father, Rafael, was somehow involved in President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

And he thanked supporters for helping him beat out a talented field, with the exception of the man who did win. They’d show up for his acceptance speech on Thursday and then leave en masse five minutes into it.

Donna Metz, Cruz’s 2016 Kansas state co-chairwoman, wore a sparkling red, white and blue hat and was jostled in the crowd as she made her way toward Cruz. “I think that takes away all of the “Never Trump” movement”, she said. “He’s by far the best candidate”.

Cruz is eager to be seen as the face of the modern conservative movement should there be an open GOP field in four years. He placed second in the delegate count during the nominating process on the floor, and still has plenty of loyal supporters in the convention hall – some of whom disrupted proceedings on Monday.

“He doesn’t want to tie himself too closely to the “Trump train” less he be tainted by any disastrous performance Trump has between now and November”, said Jones.