Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said that his party’s candidates for president are just “posturing” when they avoid committing to supporting the eventual nominee.
“We expect that when candidates make commitments to the principles and values of our party, that they would keep it,” Priebus said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“Candidates are also posturing,” he said. “I think they’re posturing for the possibility of an open convention.”
GOP candidates John Kasich, Ted Cruz and front-runner Donald Trump have each indicated that they may abandon former promises to support their party’s nominee.
Priebus said that their hesitance is about them holding their cards close to their chest in the event that there is no clear nominee by the party’s convention in the summer, in which case they would each be able to re-compete for delegates.
“Some candidates think there’s leverage to be had over making these kinds of statements,” said Priebus. “There’s no leverage over [the RNC]. We’re going to administer the convention the same way.”
He also said that the pledge is not “some magical paper that we’re running around with.” Candidates who agree to it are doing so in exchange for RNC “resources” such as access to GOP voter data, he said.
Each of the three candidates pledged last year to support the party’s nominee. Since then, each has waffled. Trump has said if he is not the nominee, he will have to consider how “fairly” he was treated by the RNC.
Kasich and Cruz have said they may not be able to support Trump if he wins the nomination because he is likely unfit for the presidency.
In a separate appearance on ABC’s “This Week” Priebus said Trump’s threats to mount a third-party bid if he is denied the nomination, “have consequences,” hurting his bid to secure the Republican nomination.
“When you make those kinds of comments, and you want people to fall in line for you, it makes it more difficult,” the RNC head said.
