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  1. #1
    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    Pennsylvania Republicans have a weird primary. Here’s how it works

    Pennsylvania Republicans have a weird primary. Here’s how it works


    • From left: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and John Kasich.


    By Alice Yin GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
    APRIL 21, 2016

    WASHINGTON — All eyes will be on Pennsylvania’s Republican presidential primary Tuesday — but not necessarily its voters.

    The state has one of the quirkiest GOP primary systems in the country, and even though Donald Trump leads in Pennsylvania polls, that advantage may not translate into more delegates.

    Pennsylvania GOP primary voters directly elect most of their delegates, who are not officially tied to any candidate.


    As a result, the Pennsylvania GOP primary — by far the biggest contest on the map next week — presents another opportunity for Senator Ted Cruz or Ohio Governor John Kasich to snatch delegates from Trump, impeding his path to the nomination.


    “Systems like this favor people who have well organized campaigns and are backed by the party,” said Marc Meredith, an associate political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania. “Trump fits neither of those criteria, so he stands to have the most to lose.”


    On the Pennsylvania Republican primary ballot, delegate prospects are not listed with any candidate allegiances. But some have publicly announced whom they would support, allowing voters to essentially know which camp they’re backing in the primary.


    Other delegate candidates have been subject to lobbying from the various campaigns that want to secure their votes — or at least the public promise of their votes — at the national convention.


    Finally, many delegate candidates have vowed to vote for the winner of their congressional district or the statewide primary.


    “My vote is a judgment for voters to make,” said Pennsylvania delegate candidate Charlie Gerow, who served as cochairman of Carly Fiorina’s presidential campaign. “I’m going to vote for the candidate that carries my congressional district on the first ballot.”


    Trump holds a 21-point lead over Cruz and Kasich in a recent average of Pennsylvania GOP primary surveys tabulated by RealClearPolitics.

    But a disappointing delegate result for him in Pennsylvania could further complicate his already difficult path to winning the nomination.


    If Trump fails to receive 1,237 delegates, the Republican Party will have a contested convention in July. In that case, most delegates are bound to vote for a certain candidate on the first ballot — except those from Pennsylvania, making the state’s delegation a major player at the convention.


    “The prospect of a contested convention just adds to the intrigue of the whole process,” said Matthew Levendusky, another associate political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania. “A Trump win may not do all that much for the delegate count.”


    There are 71 GOP delegates at stake in Pennsylvania, and 54 of them are directly elected by voters. The remaining delegates are bound to follow the results of the primary.


    The Democratic primary, by comparison, is more straightforward. The 210 delegates are mostly divided proportionally by congressional district or statewide results, with the balance serving as superdelegates.


    Pennsylvania’s closed primary will likely further boost Hillary Clinton in the state. Her opponent, Senator Bernie Sanders, has fared better with independent voters who cannot participate in the primary. The Real Clear Politics polling average shows Clinton leads Sanders 52 to 39 percent in the state.


    What’s more, at least 18 of the state’s 21 superdelegates are pledged to Clinton, said Preston Maddock, communications director at the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.


    “Another severe setback in Pennsylvania could change Sanders’ fortunes irreparably,” said the former chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, T.J. Rooney.


    The last time Pennsylvania hosted a competitive Democratic primary was 2008, when Clinton defeated then-US Senator Barack Obama.


    Rooney said Clinton’s path in Pennsylvania should be clearer this year.


    “In 2008, you knew it was different — the ground was moving underneath you,” he said. “The feel here is very not quite 2008.
    . . . Not everybody is on fire, and truthfully that advantages Secretary Clinton.”

    https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/pol...ggP/story.html

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  2. #2
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    This doesn't explain what is going on.

    First of all, when you register to vote in Pennsylvania (online) it says you must register either Republican or Democrat to vote in the primary election

    https://www.pavoterservices.state.pa...plication.aspx

    Next it says in the article,

    Pennsylvania GOP primary voters directly elect most of their delegates, who are not officially tied to any candidate.

    ....

    On the Pennsylvania Republican primary ballot, delegate prospects are not listed with any candidate allegiances. But some have publicly announced whom they would support, allowing voters to essentially know which camp they’re backing in the primary.
    So, apparently, the primary election casts ballots for delegates, not nominees.

    But,

    Finally, many delegate candidates have vowed to vote for the winner of their congressional district or the statewide primary.

    “My vote is a judgment for voters to make,” said Pennsylvania delegate candidate Charlie Gerow, who served as cochairman of Carly Fiorina’s presidential campaign. “I’m going to vote for the candidate that carries my congressional district on the first ballot.
    That sounds like there is a primary election for the nominees, not the delegates. Where does the direct election for the delegates take place?

    Could somebody explain what is going on?
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    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    NBC: Cruz to Win Half Of Pennsylvania's Delegates, "Even If He Comes In Distant Third"

    By Ian Schwartz
    Posted on April 19, 2016


    NBC's Hallie Jackson reports Cruz has changed his focus to Pennsylvania and making a play for the state's unbound delegates. Jackson, the network's Cruz correspondent, said even if Cruz has a third place finish in Pennsylvania's Republican primary, he'll win more than half the delegates.

    "It's very telling that's Ted Cruz tonight is not in Brooklyn or Manhattan or any of the boroughs or state. He's in Pennsylvania," reported Jackson.

    "He'll be in Philly for his watch party tonight," Jackson said. "That's indicative of where he and his campaign see this race going, to Pennsylvania, where they are looking to make a play for these unbound delegates. Even if they come in a distant third, a top campaign aide tells me, they will still, they believe, pick up more than half the delegates there."

    "They're looking at more than 30," Jackson said.

    Pennsylvania allots 71 delegates in the Republican primary; 54 of which are unbound.

    How Pennsylvania selects delegates, via The Green Papers:

    54 of the Commonwealth's 71 delegates to the Republican National Convention will be directly elected (their names appear on the ballot) in a LOOPHOLE type primary, in which delegates are elected separately from a presidential preference.

    Each of the 18 Congressional District is allocated 3 delegates (54 = 18 districts × 3 delegates/district). Rule 8.4 of the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania's Rules states that all delegates elected by Congressional District "...shall run at large within the Districts and shall not be officially committed to any particular candidate on the ballot.".

    17 (10 base at-large delegates plus 4 bonus delegates plus 3 RNC delegates) of the Commonwealth's 71 delegates to the Republican National Convention delegates are bound for the 1st ballot to the candidate who receives the most votes in the Pennsylvania Presidential Primary.

    The delegates are released if the candidate withdraws, suspends, or terminates his/her campaign or publicly releases his/her delegates.

    [Rule 8.3]
    Primary

    http://www.realclearpolitics.com/vid...ant_third.html
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  4. #4
    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    See a real PA. Sample Ballot @ http://www.chesco.org/DocumentCenter/View/32940

    (May download slowly.)
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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnDoe2 View Post
    See a real PA. Sample Ballot @ http://www.chesco.org/DocumentCenter/View/32940

    (May download slowly.)
    Yes, that explains it. What a mess. The ballot includes entries for both the delegates and the presidential nominees.

    Why can't the political parties run their own elections and keep government out of it? Think of all the tax dollars wasted on this circus.
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