Cleveland - Donald Trump was formally nominated for president Tuesday after overcoming the last throes of opposition from a small, but vocal, contingent of Republican delegates.
The businessman won't officially become the Republican Party's nominee until he accepts the title on Thursday night, but Tuesday's vote marked the death of the last-ditch attempts to block his nomination. He crossed over the 1,237 delegate threshold on Tuesday after New York's delegates announced he earned 89 delegates from the state.
"Congratulations, dad, we love you," said Donald Trump Jr., announcing the state's vote.
Trump's critics have tried to derail the Republican National Convention, including a revolt Monday over a rules change that could have jeopardized his nomination, and several delegations, including Colorado's slate, gave their votes to rival candidates.
Georgia Republicans were similarly torn about the candidate, but most of the state's top officials and leading activists endorsed the candidate. The state's delegates are bound by law to cast their votes according to the result of the state's March 1 primary, which meant Texas Sen. Ted Cruz garnered 18 delegates and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio got 16. Trump, who the contest with about 40 percent of the vote, netted the other 42.
Much of the rest of the party has rallied around him, whether it be because they embrace his populist message or fear a victory by Democrat Hillary Clinton. Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, who nominated Trump, said the candidate "gave voice to the peoples’ concerns."
"He said that our border must be secure, that our nation must be strong," he said. "That we must defeat the terrorists who threaten us, that we must restore law and order and support our courageous law enforcement officers."
A few hours later, Trump addressed the convention via video from New York.
“Together we’ve achieved historic results, with the largest vote total in the history of the Republican Party,” he said. “This is a movement, but we have to go all the way. I’m so proud to be your nominee for president of the United States. I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you on Thursday night on how we build a brighter and more hopeful future for all Americans.”
Clinton, who will accept her party's nomination in Philadelphia next week, signaled she's ready for the challenge.
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