Some influential voices in conservative media are beginning to actively root for a brokered Republican convention in the summer, even though such an event would almost certainly be chaotic and signify that the party is not unified heading into the presidential general election.
Conservative journalists and publications that have positioned themselves against Donald Trump as the GOP nominee are promoting the odds of a brokered convention, reasoning that the billionaire businessman is not fit for the White House and would set conservatism back.
“If the businessman can’t rally a majority at the convention, then he can’t unite the GOP enough to beat Hillary Clinton,” said an editorial Monday by the Wall Street Journal, which has argued against Trump in the past. “Many primaries have yet to be held, and the odds are that the voters will give one candidate a clear majority before Cleveland. But if they don’t, the voters themselves will have set the stage for the convention fight. The event could a great education in party democracy…”
Trump currently leads his nearest rival Ted Cruz in delegates 384 to 300. Another 150 are up for grabs on Tuesday and more crucial contests come up the week after, which could see Trump widen his lead.
To win the nomination, a candidate needs 1,237 delegates.
National Review, which is working to prevent Trump from winning the nomination, said in an editorial Tuesday that even if Trump entered a brokered convention with the most delegates, but is short of the required number, it should not guarantee he become the nominee.
“Trump will probably enter the convention with a delegate lead and the largest share of the popular vote. That should not cow anyone,” the magazine said. “The role of the convention is to secure for the party a nominee whom most of the delegates can support. Trump’s failure to arrive with a majority of delegates would reflect the lack of a consensus for his nomination. The delegates will be fulfilling their function if they try to find a candidate most of them can support.”
Some conservative writers have even argued that it is worth Republicans losing the White House than for the party to see itself taken over by a standard-bearer who holds many positions not in sync with traditional conservative orthodoxy.
In a Tuesday blog post for the Washington Post, Jennifer Rubin said GOP voters may be setting themselves up for a brokered convention but that they should strategically select the candidate who will have the best shot at defeating Trump.
“[I]t is a time for Republicans to choose the best possible nominee, which might not be good enough to win the general election but could at least … remove the risk we will wind up with Trump,” she said.
New York Times columnist David Brooks also called on Republicans to appeal to a higher cause.
“[A brokered convention] would be bedlam for a few days, but a broadly acceptable new option might emerge,” wrote Brooks on Tuesday. “It would be better than going into the fall with Trump, which would be a moral error… This isn’t about winning the presidency in 2016 anymore. This is about something much bigger.”
Despite the hopeful thinking, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said last Friday that the likelihood of a brokered convention is, at most, 15 percent.
