Despite Cruz’s campaign suspension, and the expected announcement from Kasich of the same, those voters who are declaring ‘Never Trump’ are still pretty vocal. While many party leaders and republicans across the board are calling for voters to unite under Trump, Cruz supporters are not yet indicating they intend to do that.
In fact, there is a lot of discussion on social media about the fact that a suspended campaign does not prevent Cruz from obtaining more delegates should supporters still choose to vote for him. Seen as the last hope for conservatives, not everyone is ready to throw in the towel on Cruz just yet.
This stance is very controversial as many see this type of division as beneficial to the Democratic Party, reducing the number of Republican votes that Trump would receive in November. There are conservatives who refuse to vote for someone so diametrically opposed to them on just about every issue, as well as those who take issue with Trump’s ever-changing positions on the issues.
Will these voters surrender and tow the party line? There is a strong chance that they won’t. Informal polling of a group of anti-Trump republicans indicated that more than half are willing to just stay home in November, and see voting for Trump simply as voting for the lesser of two evils.
This election seems to be where conservatives are drawing the line in the sand and saying no more. Social media shows Cruz supporters encouraging voters in the upcoming primaries to still vote for him and not vote for Trump. Unity of the republicans is not quite on the horizon yet.
Donald Trump is liberal; there is no denying that. And conservatives have simply had enough bullying from the liberals in the country, and now, from their own party. Is there still a chance that a contested convention will take place? It is unclear as of this writing. Trump has a strong chance of acquiring the necessary delegates to earn the nomination from the Republican Party.
However, with party rules being fluid each cycle, the RNC could shock everyone with a change in the process. Is this wise? Probably not. If the people have spoken and Trump earns enough delegates, then denying Trump the Republican nomination could see negative repercussions from the public.
Now is not the time to cause more distrust within the Republican party It is already clear that voters don’t trust or identify with the ‘good ol’ boys network’ we call the GOP establishment. That distrust has driven this primary season.
Even though Trump remains as the sole candidate with an active campaign at this time, the race is far from over. Cruz is undeniably a strategic and intelligent candidate and may have a master plan up his sleeve.
Though he has been criticized for maximizing his opportunities by working within the process, nobody can deny he has the best strategy and application when it comes to campaigning. We wouldn’t be surprised if we have not seen the last of him. His supporters are certainly hopeful that this is the case.
Regardless of what happens next, those not ready to surrender will be put to the test should Trump officially win the nomination. Will they unite to beat Hillary, or will they hold to their convictions and not vote for someone they can’t support?
We should find out in the upcoming weeks. This division within the Republican Party will certainly add some sizzle to betting on the presidential election. The Never Trump voters will certainly be a deciding factor to how well Trump does or doesn’t do in the general election.
It will be intriguing to see how this affects the lines and odds for political betting sites that are covering the party nominations and betting on the 2016 presidential election.