Free the Delegates was an American political effort within the Republican Party, formed in June 2016 by delegate and Rules Committee member Kendal Unruh to the 2016 Republican National Convention (July 18–21, 2016) with the goal of nominating a candidate other than Donald Trump, who won a plurality of primary votes and pledged delegates.[1][2]

By June 19, hundreds of delegates to the Republican National Convention had begun raising funds and recruiting members in support of an effort to persuade the party convention rules committee to free delegates to vote as they individually wished, rather than according to the results of state caucuses and primaries.[3][4][5][6]

History

The movement was founded and launched in June by a delegate and RNC rules committee member, Kendal Unruh, with a nationwide conference call connecting 30 convention delegates in 15 states.[7] Less than a week later, the group's second phone conference included over 1,000 delegates, about 400 of whom were pledged to the movement.[6][8]

Free the Delegates movement was started by eight time National Delegate and former RNC Platform Committee member, Kendal Unruh of Castle Rock, Colorado, who teaches high school government at the Jim Elliot Christian School in Denver. Unruh was a 2016 Cruz delegate for Colorado to the Convention and a member of the Rules Committee.[9][10][11] Unruh was the sponsor of the "conscience clause" in the RNC rules committee. The amendment was to codify the legal right of the delegates to unbind from the candidate(s) who had been selected in the primaries. She was quickly joined by fellow Colorado delegate Regina Thomson.[6] The movement was aided by Beau Correll of Winchester, Virginia, an attorney who was elected delegate to the Republican National Convention.

On July 11, Correll won a federal lawsuit in Correll v. Herring. The effect of the victory was to prevent state law from binding delegates.[12]

Organization

On June 24, 2016, Free The Delegates, a Super PAC, was officially formed by Beau Correll.[13] Regina Thomson is the Executive Director and Kendal Unruh acted as the official spokesperson.[14] The Free the Delegates PAC is an entirely different entity than the RNC Nomination challenge named Free the Delegates, founded and organized by Unruh.

Texas financier Chris Eckstrom, founder of Courageous Conservatives PAC, a PAC that supported the Ted Cruz presidential campaign, and political consultant Steve Lonegan of New Jersey ran an independent effort focused on denying Trump the Republican nomination.[15][16]

Republican support

Speaker of the House and Chairman of the 2016 Republican National Convention Paul Ryan appeared to give Free the Delegates tacit support when he appeared on NBC News' Meet the Press on June 19. During this appearance, he responded to a question about the group by saying, "It is not my job to tell delegates what to do, what not to do, or to weigh in on things like that... They write the rules. They make their decisions ... the last thing I'm going to do is weigh in and tell delegates what to do."[17]

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker gave support to Free the Delegates, telling the Associated Press, "I think historically, not just this year, delegates are and should be able to vote the way they see fit."[18]

Former U.S. Senator Gordon J. Humphrey endorsed the efforts of Republican delegates to organize against Trump, saying he would work to encourage New England delegates to oppose Trump.[19]

Arizona Senator and 2008 nominee John McCain told The Weekly Standard, "I think it's up to every delegate to make up their own minds."[20]

Responses

Columnist Eric Zorn argued that the group is the GOP's "last, best hope", arguing that while it may split the party, nominating Trump may also split it.[21]

The Chicago Tribune's editorial board called for a mutiny of GOP delegates, writing, "The GOP has never nominated someone so plainly unprepared, unreliable and unfit."[22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Epstein, Reid (6 July 2016). "Anti-Donald Trump Forces See Convention Coup as Within Reach". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  2. ↑ O'Keefe, Eric (June 13, 2016). "Release the GOP Delegates". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on June 18, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  3. ↑ O'Keefe, Ed (June 19, 2016). "Anti-Trump delegates raising money for staff and a legal defense fund". Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  4. ↑ LoBianco, Tom (June 18, 2016). "Election Results2016NationWorldOur Team RNC delegates launch 'Anybody but Trump' drive". CNN. Archived from the original on December 24, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  5. ↑ Jaffe, Alexandra (June 17, 2016). "Campaign to Dump Trump at Republican Convention Emerges". NBC News. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 O'Keefe, Ed (June 20, 2016). "New anti-Trump movement grows to include hundreds of GOP delegates". Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  7. ↑ O'Keefe, Ed (June 17, 2016). "Dozens of GOP delegates launch new push to halt Donald Trump". Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Virginia Law Binding State Delegates to Donald Trump Thrown Out - ABC News". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  9. ↑ Skovira, Kristen (June 18, 2016). "Colorado woman wants other Republican delegates to dump Donald Trump; Free the Delegates 2016". The Denver Channel. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  10. ↑ Epstein, Reid (June 12, 2016). "Stop-Trump Groups Fail to Get Traction". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on June 18, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  11. ↑ Burleigh, Nina (June 21, 2016). "Senator Murphy gun control filibuster". Newsweek. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  12. ↑ Schleifer, Theodore (June 24, 2016). "RNC delegate files lawsuit in order to avoid voting for Donald Trump". CNN Politics. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Free The Delegates". Facebook. June 23, 2016. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Free The Delegates". Ballotpedia. August 12, 2016. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  15. ↑ Rubin, Jennifer (June 21, 2016). "A Republican delegate revolt becomes more likely". Washington Post (blog). Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  16. ↑ Potter, Matt (June 20, 2016). "San Diego's GOP big-money trash angel wants to dump Trump 0 Dump backer and trolley builder part of cash movement behind Courageous Conservatives". San Diego Reader. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  17. ↑ Phillips, Amber (June 19, 2016). "Paul Ryan: 'It's not my job to tell delegates what to do'". Meet the Press (NBC News). Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  18. ↑ Levitz, Eric (June 21, 2016). "Scott Walker Says GOP Delegates Should Feel Free to Depose Trump". New York Magazine. Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  19. ↑ Cheney, Kyle; Isenstadt, Alex (June 22, 2016). "Trump's stumbles fuel convention delegate revolt". Politico. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  20. ↑ "McCain: Delegates Free to 'Make Up Their Own Minds' on How to Vote at Convention". The Weekly Standard. 28 June 2016. Archived from the original on 6 September 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  21. ↑ Zorn, Eric (June 21, 2016). "GOP's 'Free the Delegates' effort to stop Trump could use some superpowers". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  22. ↑ "GOP's 'Free the Delegates' effort to stop Trump could use some superpowers". Chicago Tribune. June 23, 2016. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
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