Subject: Cruz supporters rack up 19 of Maine GOP’s 23 delegates | BDN Maine | Bangor Daily News
From: "Bennett, Eric" <[email-masked]>
To: Comm_D <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 23 Apr 2016 15:53:28 -0700

http://bangordailynews.com/2016/04/23/politics/cruz-supporters-rack-up-19-of-maine-gops-23-delegates/

Cruz supporters rack up 19 of Maine GOP’s 23 delegates
A volunteer hands out Ted Cruz signs during the Maine State GOP Convention at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor on Saturday.

BANGOR, Maine — In a blow to Gov. Paul LePage from the activists who propelled his rise, supporters of Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz took at least 19 of Maine’s 23 delegates to the party’s national convention on Saturday.

They outmaneuvered front-runner Donald Trump — who is endorsed by the governor<https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fbangordailynews.com%2F2016%2F02%2F26%2Fpolitics%2Flepage-christie-endorse-donald-trump-for-president%2F&sa=D&ust=1461454622028000&usg=AFQjCNFF55okR1MtmiK_D4EQGv2K5hLjpg&ref=inline> — on the floor of Maine’s state convention with an eye toward a potential contested national convention in July between Trump, Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

The Texas senator won 12 of 23 national convention delegates<https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fwebhp%3Fsourceid%3Dchrome-instant%26ion%3D1%26espv%3D2%26ie%3DUTF-8%23q%3Dcruz%2B12%2Bdelegates%2Bsite%3Abangordailynews.com&sa=D&ust=1461454622028000&usg=AFQjCNF77vACuhAE1DpAgQIrQsFXJeIXgA&ref=inline> at Maine’s March caucuses, with Trump winning nine and Kasich two. But they’re only bound to their candidates on a first ballot at the convention in Cleveland. On subsequent ballots, they can vote for anyone.

Trump is in front, but he isn’t on track to have enough delegates<https://www.google.com/url?q=http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/election-2016/delegate-targets/&sa=D&ust=1461454622029000&usg=AFQjCNFIZI6iYHfqH1TPQuQUoYuU40J4fw> to win the nomination outright before the convention. If he falls short, it would likely go to a second ballot for the first time since 1948, leaving an opening for Cruz and Kasich.

Cruz’s campaign used majority support at the Maine convention to install 19 supporters — some of whom would vote for other candidates, then switch to Cruz on a second ballot — as delegates.

It was a big loss for Trump and LePage, even though the governor was elected as a delegate from Maine on Saturday, overcoming an effort from Cruz supporters to reject his bid<https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fbangordailynews.com%2F2016%2F04%2F22%2Fpolitics%2Felections%2Fcruz-backers-power-play-could-block-lepage-from-national-convention%2F%3Fref%3Dinline&sa=D&ust=1461454622030000&usg=AFQjCNFqL1Tz75Yo0PHvjnV_Iem-60rpbA&ref=inline>.

LePage blasted Cruz’s team in a Friday interview with talk radio host Howie Carr<https://www.google.com/url?q=http://howiecarrshow.com/lepage-calls-out-lyin-teds-campaign-tricks/&sa=D&ust=1461454622030000&usg=AFQjCNExqC5GhP0t2Ebp9RFF1VVkBfQKtg>, saying they reneged on a deal for a “unity ticket” that would proportion delegates according to the March caucus results.

Top Cruz supporters denied there was a deal, but his campaign circulated a slate of Cruz-approved delegate candidates<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/mikeshepherdME/status/723871066150543360&sa=D&ust=1461454622031000&usg=AFQjCNFzE55loNjpyMxl2yVBx6tptjyj8w>. During voting, activists paced the convention floor with posters showing it, with Trump and Kasich supporters aligning behind LePage’s ticket.

But the divisive presidential race showed itself in another way: Three high-profile surrogates — Carly Fiorina, Ben Carson and John E. Sununu — spoke respectively for Cruz, Trump and Kasich, but LePage was the highest-ranking Maine Republican to inject himself into the election.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who isn’t endorsing a candidate<https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fbangordailynews.com%2F2016%2F03%2F23%2Fpolitics%2Fsusan-collins-says-she-wont-endorse-gop-presidential-candidate-until-convention%2F%3Fref%3Dinline&sa=D&ust=1461454622032000&usg=AFQjCNH2LWdzFvvwuCZ-XZ8GNS7krVHAgQ&ref=inline>, ignored the presidential race in her speech. Rep. Bruce Poliquin of the 2nd District — who also isn’t endorsing<https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fstateandcapitol.bangordailynews.com%2F2016%2F03%2F18%2Fpoliquins-uncomfortable-pause-on-donald-trump%2F%3Fref%3Dinline&sa=D&ust=1461454622032000&usg=AFQjCNG2oPyNSDxz_6LaNjchQNsPaOCYhA&ref=inline> and is in a nationally targeted re-election race<https://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fbangordailynews.com%2F2016%2F04%2F18%2Fthe-point%2Fbruce-poliquin-emily-cain-on-pace-to-set-maine-fundraising-records-again%2F%3Fref%3Dinline&sa=D&ust=1461454622033000&usg=AFQjCNELuJ1ByOe6YasLDyAtzm858i85xQ&ref=inline> against Democrat Emily Cain — joked that he’d write in World War II veteran Norman Rossignol of Bangor.

But LePage is still well-liked in the grass-roots: Kympton Lovley, a Cruz supporter and delegate from Hampden, said that while he doesn’t trust Trump’s conservative bonafides, he supports “99 percent” of LePage’s policies.

“I’m just disappointed that he supported Donald Trump in this election,” Lovley said, “because I consider Paul LePage to be a true conservative.”

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