CNN reports that this afternoon Duncan Hunter announced he would not drop out of the race and “criticized debate organizers at FOX and ABC for not extending him an invitation when ‘guys with zero delegates’ like Rudy Giuliani and John McCain were allowed to participate in the events, saying they ‘decided my campaign was over, and the lights would be shut out on my campaign.'” Hunter’s justification for staying in the race is that he won one delegate at the Wyoming county conventions on Saturday. But he probably doesn’t want people to know that he achieved this victory when, on the fourth ballot, he won the votes of 26 county delegates to Mitt Romney’s 18 at the Sheridan county convention, according to Sheridan GOP county chairman Jim Craig. Yes, that’s right, Hunter’s argument to stay in the race is that he won the votes of 26 out of 44 Republican activists in one county in Wyoming. According to Craig, these 44 county delegates were elected to the county convention by “roughly 75” Sheridan county Republicans who caucused back in December. Now, I”m not saying that there’s anything wrong with party activists playing a greater role in selecting their party’s nominee, but instead of lashing out at “knucklehead media executives,” Hunter might want to admit that winning one delegate in Wyoming does not translate into broad-based support.
