Georgia Cruz and Trump supporters fight for delegates

Republicans from across the state will meet Saturday in district conventions to pick three delegates each to the national convention in Cleveland, Ohio.
The potential for a contested convention in Cleveland heightens the importance of the district conventions because every delegate could be instrumental in determining the party’s presidential nominee.
The Cruz and Trump campaigns are both eager to see their supporters get those delegate slots.
“I think the Cruz people and the Trump people are the two most organized. I can’t remember a time seeing two candidates this organized,” said Randy Evans, the state’s Republican National Committeeman and a long-time party activist.
Georgia requires delegates to be bound on the first two convention ballots to vote for the candidate who won the presidential preference primary. Donald Trump won 39 percent of the vote in the March 1 primary giving him 43 delegates. Marco Rubio won 17 and Ted Cruz 17.
Although Trump is likely to arrive in Cleveland with the most delegates, he isn’t projected to have a majority. Many observers think that when he comes up short on the first ballot, he could have a difficult time winning on subsequent ballots because the individuals serving as delegates personally support Cruz.
Georgia is unlike most states in that it binds delegates to two ballots while most only bind them to one, according to Evans. Some party insiders interpret state party rules as only a one-ballot binding, noting that Georgia can’t enforce a state law in Ohio.
The 12th District meeting is in Douglas, Ga., a three-hour drive from Augusta where most of the voters live. District Chairman Michael Welsh said with an 8 a.m. start to registration, attendees will either spend Friday night in Douglas or rise very early.
“And you’re not likely to get all the alternates there,” he admitted. “They may decide to skip the drive and just go to the state convention.”
Convention locations usually rotate around the district, and Welsh said it was Douglas’ turn since it hadn’t hosted a convention since it moved from the First to the 12th District.