Pennsylvania’s Republican primary Tuesday is easily the one state contest that best fits Donald Trump’s blistering criticism of the disconnect between voters and delegates in the party’s nomination process.
While winning one of the 54 open slots will make you one of the state’s 71 delegates to the Republican National Convention in July, it may not be all it’s cracked up to be — either in terms of its impact on selecting a Republican standard-bearer or fun as a convention delegate.
Instead of being wined, dined and limousined, you’ll be bused to and from your distant hotel to be shunned at the convention and have beer and kielbasa parties at your hotel, says a delegate veteran.
But for some, including Aldridk Gessa, a Republican committeewoman from Philadelphia’s 29th Ward, the chance to participate in the republic’s most basic business is all the thrill she needs.
“I work in risk management, and, I mean, how exciting is this?” said Mrs. Gessa, a Cuban immigrant running for delegate as a supporter of Sen. Ted Cruz. “I came from a place where they don’t have elections, and I’m running to go to a convention to select a candidate for president.”
But it’s not going to be all that some neophytes among the 162 people running for the 54 slots might think.
“There are a lot of people running for delegate who never were involved before in Republican politics,” said Mary Ann Meloy, a Pittsburgh-area activist and former Reagan White House official.
“We have regular party workers — party members — who are on the ballot, but instead of declaring for a candidate, they say they will vote for whoever wins their district.
“We know who that winner is going to be in western Pennsylvania — Trump,” said Mrs. Melo.
She said she would decide whom to support on the day before the balloting. “If the overwhelming number keep their word and vote for the winner of their congressional district, that will be Trump, and that could put him over the top on the first ballot at the convention.”
“But I know a lot of those people don’t actually support him; they just want to get to the party, which is what they think the convention is — a great big party where everybody wines and dines you.
“Well, there’s lots of wining and dining, but not for delegates,” Mrs. Meloy said. “We get bused back to our hotels for beer and kielbasa parties.”
Mrs. Meloy said that “once you get elected as a delegate, you must write a check to the state party — $400 in 2012 and $500 this time. It covers the bus transportation to and from the convention every day and the sandwich parties afterward.”
“Your hotel room is extra but if you don’t pay the $500 to the state party, you don’t get a room with your state’s delegation,” she said. “Four years ago, the convention was in Tampa, and I paid less than $200 a night at a Doubletree Hotel far from the convention. Not the place where you want to spend your vacation.”
Still, whatever Republican voters think they’re doing in the polling booths across Pennsylvania will have little to do with actual delegate selection. It is a backroom primary in election clothing.
Seventeen of the delegate slots will go to whoever wins a plurality statewide — which all polls say will be Mr. Trump.
But 14 of the 17 are hand-picked by the state chairman and the two Republican National Committee members, and those people have been mum on whether they support Mr. Trump, Mr. Cruz, Ohio Gov. John Kasich or someone else.
The 54 elected delegates don’t have to say whom they will for on the first round of convention balloting. Some have publicly said they will go with the overall winner of Tuesday’s primary. Others have let their names be put on lists circulated by the candidates as committed to him — but on the first ballot only.
Some of the most committed candidates to fill the 54 delegate slots simply can’t predict much beyond their own districts, and some aren’t terribly sure about their districts either.
Software engineering manager Gabriel Keller is one of 15 delegate hopefuls in his district. “I come from a family of conservatives, I’m a libertarian and I wouldn’t describe myself as highly engaged in Republican activities.”
Mr. Keller, of Pine Township in Allegheny County, said the Trump campaign has put out the names of five supporters in his district, but “I can’t say with confidence there are more than three we can count on for Trump.”
“My name is fourth on the ballot. The first on the ballot is a Cruz supporter. It’s always the first three on the ballot who have the best chances of winning slots.”
Call it lucky for the Trump campaign, but the name of Ralph Wike III is second of five names on the ballot in his district, and Jan Ting is the last name among the five hopefuls. Mr. Wike is a laundromat owner and DJ in Delaware County. Mr. Ting is a Temple University professor.
Does Mr. Wike see Mr. Cruz gaining any districts across the state?
“I don’t know about Cruz, but today I see a lot more districts with likely pluralities — two weeks ago, I couldn’t have said that,” Mr. Wike said.
What about being nine and 10 on an 11-candidate ballot? That’s the fix Sue and Jim Means find themselves in. They’re also the only candidates in their district who committed themselves publicly as Cruz supporters. She is an Allegheny County councilwoman, and he is a college professor.
“I’m not worried,” she said. “I have good name recognition. We were delegates to the Tampa convention in 2012. People know us.”
• Ralph Z. Hallow can be reached at rhallow@gmail.com.
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