By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Thursday, May 26, the Associated Press (AP) reported that in their polling of the unbound Republican delegates the AP found that enough supported New York City billionaire businessman and reality TV star Donald Trump that he already has the 1237 delegates needed to win the Republican Presidential nomination on the first ballot at their convention in Cleveland. Trump’s remaining GOP opponents, US Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich, both dropped out after Trump won the Indiana Primary.
The 69 years-old former casino owner is the last Republican standing in a field of candidates that once had 17. According to the AP Donald Trump now has 1238 bound delegates and pledged unbound delegates. He is expected to go into the convention with a substantial majority after the last states hold primaries on June 7, and he is awarded most of those over 300 delegates. This should allow Trump to avoid the specter of a contested conventions. Efforts by some party elites to run a third party candidate appear to have failed.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is leading Trump 43.8 percent to 42.8 percent in the Real Clear Politics rolling average; but is as strong or strong that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney was at this point in the process in 2012.
Sec. Clinton meanwhile still has to defeat US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) in order to take the nomination. Sanders is still vowing to take the fight all the way to the Democratic Convention. According to the Associated Press Sec. Clinton only needs 96 more delegates to clinch the nomination; but that number includes hundreds of super delegates who are not bound. Sanders is hoping to do well in the remaining states to prevent Clinton from winning enough pledged delegates to win the nomination outright. His plan would be to then go to the convention and urge the super delegates (and Democrats have far more unbound super delegates than do Republicans) to switch their allegiance particularly those in states that went strong for Sanders.
Speculation abounds as to who will be Trump’s vice presidential pick.
According to recent reporting Alabama’s own US Senator Jeff Sessions is on Trump’s short list for the spot on the ticket.
On Friday, Trump’s Alabama campaign co-Chairman Perry O Hooper Jr. said in a statement, “There is much work to do for all of us who care about the future of America. Hillary Clinton is going to be the Democratic nominee for president. If elected, she promises to continue Obama’s disastrous policies that have already done so much harm to the US economy. She will instigate trade deals that will give away US sovereignty and jobs, while getting nothing of value in return. What remains of the great American Middle class will disintegrate under the misguided policies that promise equality but does so by bringing everyone down. She will continue Obama’s apology tour cowering before our enemies abroad encouraging them to continue to treat America with utter disdain and disregard.”
Original reporting by Fox News, the Associated Press and Real Clear Politics contributed to this report.
