22 Sep Trump notches another delegate selection rule win in Massachusetts

Trump’s campaign’s efforts to change party rules for delegate selection have seen success, with states revising their rules. California’s GOP executive committee granted all state delegates to any candidate securing over half the vote, favoring Trump. However, Massachusetts Republicans encourage competition, promising delegates to other candidates if Trump gets less than 50% votes. The financially struggling state party aims to attract well-funded candidates, offering proportional delegates to those winning over 10% votes if no one clears 50%. In 2020, Massachusetts Republicans shifted to the winner-take-all model, protecting Trump from Bill Weld, a former governor. They also created a contingency plan, promising delegates to anyone securing over 20% votes if no candidate got 50%. Now, with many contenders, they’re returning to the proportional model, similar to 2016, to attract more candidates for the state’s 40 convention delegates. If no one gets 50% votes, candidates need only 10% to get some delegates. Despite two lawsuits trying to bar him, Trump retains an advantage if his high polling continues. The revised delegate plan aims to help Massachusetts GOP recover from a $116,000 debt, hoping to benefit from presidential candidates’ visits. State GOP chair, Amy Carnevale, considers charging up to $20,000 for primary ballot access, reduced to $10,000 if candidates hold an event with the state party.

Source: POLITICO