Ted Cruz won the 14 remaining Wyoming delegates at the state party convention in Casper on Saturday.
Candidate Cruz spoke directly to Republicans at this weekend’s Wyoming state Republican convention where the 14 delegates were selected. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was slated to speak for frontrunner Donald Trump, but she told the Trump campaign a week prior to the convention that she would not be able to attend. She was scheduled to attend the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas this weekend. Idaho Gov. Butch Otter advocated for Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
With great controversy surrounding the Republican presidential primary process in this tumultuous 2016 election cycle, the Wyoming GOP posted a description of how they select national delegates.
As in all states, one delegate slot goes to the state chairperson, one to the state’s national committeewoman, and a third goes to the state’s national committeeman.
Twelve delegates and 12 alternates are selected from among 12 delegate districts in Wyoming. County conventions held for each took place on March 12. Delegate districts are constructed by pairing up all but one of the state’s 23 counties as seen on the website. As a result of the March 12 county conventions, Cruz picked up nine delegates, now suspended candidate Marco Rubio received one, GOP frontrunner Donald Trump received one, and one undeclared delegate was chosen out of the Crook-Weston district.
Wyoming is allotted 29 delegates. With three designated for state party officials and 12 allotted to the county conventions, 14 were left to be decided at the state party convention on Saturday.
All 14 delegates selected are pledged to Cruz.
Upon learning of the results, the Cruz campaign released the following statement:
We had a tremendous show of grassroots support that resulted in a critical victory at today’s Wyoming Republican Convention. This victory continues a momentum shift that started in Utah and carried through Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Colorado. Grassroots are rising up. Republicans overwhelmingly elected delegates who will support us at the national convention and nominate us to take on Hillary Clinton. This is how elections are won in America. This is another step in our drive to win a majority of Republicans to be the nominee.
The next primary election will be held in New York on Tuesday. Trump is leading by an overwhelming margin and could take away all of the state’s 95 Republican delegates.
Colorado Republicans chose 30 Cruz-pledged and four unpledged delegates to vote at the July Republican National convention. Those delegates that have pledged to Cruz are required to vote for Cruz only on a first round vote, according to state party chairman Steve House. The four unpledged delegates are expected, but not bound, to vote for Cruz as well. One of the officially unpledged delegates was listed on a Cruz Colorado leadership team release.
North Dakota’s 25 delegates are not bound on a first round vote for the party’s presidential nominee at the Republican National convention. However, of the 25 chosen at the party’s state convention on April 2, 18 were included on Cruz’s list of preferred delegates and one was slated for Trump.
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana
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