California is key for Donald Trump in his quest to cinch the GOP’s nomination and avoid a contested convention this July; a task he may very well be able to achieve according to the latest polls.
The Republican Party’s frontrunner hired several senior aides tasked specifically with helping him avoid a contested convention, pouring millions of his own dollars into securing delegates.
RealClearPolitics points to an average of four polls from the past month in California showing Trump up by 15 percentage points over Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
A new Fox News poll of likely California primary voters released late Friday shows Trump leading the Republican field with 49%, leading both Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who is at a distant second with 22%, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich at 20%. A poll by CBS/YouGov has Trump as the same.
“We have a very important job to do in California,” said Tim Clark, Trump’s state director. According to the Los Angeles Times, he added “By harnessing the excitement surrounding Mr. Trump’s candidacy, it’s our intention to deliver 172 delegates for Trump to the national convention” during the June 7 California primary.
Trump is scheduled to speak at the California Republican Party’s convention, taking place between April 29 and May 1 at the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame.
Neither Cruz nor Kasich have enough delegates to date to secure the required 1,237 for a nomination. Trump does, especially considering he is predicted to win in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Rhode Island and Delaware in this Tuesday’s primary. There are 172 delegates at stake in California.
Breitbart News’ Editor-at-Large Joel B. Pollak elaborated on Cruz’s recent statement that he could win in California:
Cruz has predicted that he will do well in California against Trump, whom he has called a “niche” candidate. Yet Cruz is now in danger of being relegated to that category, as Kasich moves up in the polls. Kasich also enjoys the support of the last Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Current polls may have a disproportionate effect on the outcome, because mail-in voting begins May 9. Only about one-third of California primary voters will cast their ballots on primary day, June 7.
During an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” program with host Sean Hannity, Trump said “I could win Pennsylvania by a landslide, get 17 delegates, and somebody else could get, like, 30 or 40, and they don’t even win.” He added that it was “not right” that the other candidates “have connections into the machine” which he worries could lead to the party’s establishment undermining him despite being the most popular candidate.
Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz.
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