With his Super Tuesday delegates in hand, Donald Trump seems more likely than ever to be the Republican nominee for president. Yet, there is a large contingent of Republicans who say they will never vote for Trump, even if the only other choice is Hillary Clinton.
What if a third candidate emerged as a viable alternative in the general election? The Constitution Party says they’re open to considering a major Republican as their nominee.
“You ask if Trump, or Cruz, or Romney would be welcomed as a candidate,” Constitution Party spokeswoman Karen Murray told the Washington Examiner. “Yes, they would be welcome to seek the nomination. Would the party nominate such a candidate? This I cannot say. It is up to the delegates at the convention to choose who will best represent the principles of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights in the person of a candidate for the highest office in the land.”
If a candidate wanted to go that route, they’d have a little bit of time to consider it before diving in. The Constitution Party’s presidential nominating convention starts April 13. “The latest a candidate can be considered is at the [national] convention,” Murray said. To be considered on the floor, “a candidate must receive the support of half the delegates of two states, in writing, submitted at the convention.”
Some Constitution Party state conventions or primaries bind delegates to a specific candidate, as in the Republican and Democratic primary process, but not all. Furthermore, bound delegates can vote as they please if the first round of convention voting does not result in a nomination.
If a major Republican were chosen as the Constitution Party’s nominee, it would likely mean more attention, donor funding and votes than in any of the party’s six previous presidential elections. But this doesn’t mean a Republican would be welcomed with open arms.
“Publicity, donors, and votes are definitely to be desired, but not at the cost of compromising principles,” Murray said. “Constitution Party members have already left the Republican Party and tend to put principle over popularity or pocketbook, believing that the current problems in the nation are caused directly by voters who consistently choose to succumb to the lure of popularity and pocketbook in the candidates provided by both the Democrats and the Republicans. Constitution Party members … are looking for principle and courage, not bait and switch.”
It’s been 20 years since Ross Perot ran on the Reform Party ticket and earned eight percent of the vote — 24 years since he became the first, and only, third-party candidate to debate both the Republican and Democratic nominees on TV and finished the election with 19 percent.
With all the chaos of the 2016 election, could we see the rise of a new third-party candidate?
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
