Trump erupts as Cruz sweeps Colorado without votes!
DENVER, Colorado (PNN) - April 11, 2016 - Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump erupted on Fox & Friends Monday morning after a weekend that saw Senator Ted Cruz of Texas sweep all of Colorado’s 34 delegates without any votes being cast by citizens in a traditional primary process.
“I’ve gotten millions more votes than Cruz, and I’ve gotten hundreds of delegates more, and we keep fighting, fighting, fighting, and then you have a Colorado where they just get all of these delegates, and it’s not [even] a system,” Trump said. “There was no voting. I didn’t go out there to make a speech or anything. There’s no voting.” His comments came after Cruz won the remaining 13 delegates at the weekend’s convention, bringing his total for the state to 34, an outcome he described as unfair and just shy of illegal.
“They offer them trips - they offer them all sorts of things, and you’re allowed to do that,” Trump said, of the method by which some woo delegates. “I mean, you’re allowed to offer trips, and you can buy all these votes. What kind of a system is this? I’m an outsider, and I came into the system and I’m winning by millions of votes. But the system is rigged. It’s crooked.”
The televised remarks followed a weekend of tweets expressing similarly critical views.
“How is it possible that the people of the great State of Colorado never got to vote in the Republican Primary? Great anger - totally unfair!” wrote Trump in one Twitter post.
He followed it up with a second tweet. “The people of Colorado had their vote taken away from them by the phony politicians. Biggest story in politics. This will not be allowed!”
It was last August when officials within the Republican Party in Colorado decided they would not let voters take part in the early nomination process.
The Denver Post reported on Aug. 25, “The GOP executive committee has voted to cancel the traditional presidential preference poll after the national Party changed its rules to require a state’s delegates to support the candidate that wins the caucus vote.”
“It takes Colorado completely off the map” in the primary season, said Ryan Call, a former state GOP chairman.
In late February, just before Super Tuesday, the Post published a scathing editorial, saying the Party blundered on the 2016 presidential caucus.
“GOP leaders have never provided a satisfactory reason for forgoing a presidential preference poll, although Party chairman Steve House suggested on radio at one point that too many Republicans would otherwise flock to their local caucus.
“Imagine that: Party officials fearing that an interesting race might propel thousands of additional citizens to participate. But of course that might dilute the influence of elites and insiders. You can see why that could upset the faint-hearted.”
One self-avowed Trump supporter took to YouTube on Sunday to express his displeasure with the process and burned his Republican registration on camera.
“Republican Party, take note. I think you’re gonna see a whole lot more of these,” he said as he ignited his registration. “I’ve been a Republican all my life, but I will never be a Republican again.”
To the GOP, the man said, “You’ve had it. You’re done. You’re toast. Because I quit the Party. I’m voting for Trump, and to hell with the Republican Party.”
The popular Drudge Report news site splashed a headline in red Sunday evening that stated, “Cruz celebrates voterless victory.”
The delegate selection process in Colorado is complicated.
The Cortez Journal reported, “Cruz had 17 bound delegates ahead of the Republican state convention. Another four delegates are unpledged but publicly expressed support for the candidate, who hopes to curb momentum seen by frontrunner Donald Trump. Cruz declared victory in Colorado, pointing out that he won all 21 delegates from the state’s seven congressional assemblies. Another 13 delegates were awarded at the state convention on Saturday. An additional three delegates in Colorado’s 37-member national delegation are unpledged Party leaders.”
Cruz himself noted on Saturday, “This has been a remarkable year. I will say this, it hasn’t been boring.”