CLEVELAND — The dump-Trump movement has yet to concede defeat.
The forces have regrouped following a failed attempt last week to free up delegates to vote for someone other than presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and are now seeking to toss out the entire rule book that the convention is set to vote on Monday.
“Complete change of plans in response to the grievous overreach of the establishment,” Kendal Unruh, a Colorado delegate that has been a leader of the anti-Trump push, told The Washington Times. “We collected signatures of 7 states to ask for a roll call vote, and we are voting down the entire package of rules drafted by the committee.”
The plan is to force a state-by-state vote on the rules package when it comes before the convention because there is a concern that the presiding officer at the convention will not give them a fair shake on a voice vote. For that to happen, they must gather the signatures from a majority of delegates from at least seven states.
The Trump campaign and members of the Republican National Comittee teamed up in the rules committee last week to shoot down Ms. Unruh’s proposed “conscious clause” that would have changed a rule that requires delegates to vote for Mr. Trump based on state primary and caucus results.
Paul Manafort, campaign manager for Mr. Trump, said Sunday that the #NeverTrump movement was always overblown and is now dead.
“It was crushed,” Mr. Manafort told reporters.
As for the remaining holdouts, Mr. Manafort said, “it is a few people who are holding out, and they don’t reflect anything other than their own personal opinions.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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