CRANSTON, R.I. (AP) - The Rhode Island Republican party is changing its primary election process in an effort to boost President Donald Trump’s re-election bid.
The Providence Journal reports the state GOP voted Thursday to switch to a “winner-take-all” approach in its local primary.
Any candidate claiming more than 50% of the state’s presidential primary vote will now earn all 19 of Rhode Island’s delegates to the 2020 Republican National Convention. Delegates and alternates were previously distributed proportionally among candidates receiving more than 20% of vote.
The newspaper reports Providence Republican City Committee Co-Chair Dave Talan and Republican National Committee member Steve Frias were among the party leaders opposing the move during Thursday’s debate at Shriner’s hall in Cranston.
The Trump campaign has urged state Republican parties to make the switch to avoid dissent at the convention.
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Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.providencejournal.com
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