All but endorsing the idea of a contested convention to stop Donald Trump, Mitt Romney used a speech today to urge Republicans to vote strategically in remaining primary and caucus states, in order to prevent Trump from winning a majority of delegates.
"Given the current delegate selection process, that means that I'd vote for Marco Rubio in Florida, for John Kasich in Ohio, and for Ted Cruz or whichever one of the other two contenders has the best chance of beating Mr. Trump in a given state," Romney said in a speech at the University of Utah.
Credit: Jamie Dupree
Credit: Jamie Dupree
It was all part of a speech where Romney harshly criticized Trump's business acumen, as the 2012 GOP nominee said Trump was not worthy of Republican Party support.
Romney's advice for strategic voting in upcoming primary and caucus states - and the lack of an endorsement - was swiftly noted in the political world.
At first, many Republicans thought the best way to stop Trump would be for the GOP field to consolidate around one candidate - but that now seems unlikely, so the thinking would be this:
+ Cruz has the best chance to win in closed caucuses this weekend
+ Rubio could win in Puerto Rico
+ Kasich has the best chance in Michigan
+ Cruz has the best chance in Mississippi
+ Rubio needs to win Florida
+ Kasich needs to win Ohio
And so forth, and so on.
That would lead to a situation where no one has a majority of delegates, and then a brokered convention.
Can that happen? Sure, it can happen.
Will it happen?
That's a whole different issue.
About the Author
