Four weeks after Alaska’s Republican Presidential Preference Poll, Marco Rubio has returned to the race.
In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Senator from Florida has asked to retain the five delegates he won in Alaska’s poll, even though he has formally suspended his campaign to win the Republican nomination for president.
The move is believed to be an attempt to block Donald Trump from winning an outright majority of Republican delegates nationally. Such an action would force a contested Republican National Convention and raise the possibility that Trump – who is leading among Republicans nationally – would not become the party’s presidential nominee in the general election.
In a letter to the Alaska Republican Party, Rubio requested the state reverse its policy of redistributing delegates if a candidate withdraws from the race before the party holds its state convention to pick delegates for the national convention.
On election night, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz won a plurality of Alaska Republicans’ votes and a plurality of the state’s 28 pledged delegates to the Republican National Convention this summer. Cruz earned 12 delegates, Donald Trump earned 11, and Rubio was awarded five.
After Rubio suspended his campaign, those delegates were redistributed under the rules of the state’s presidential preference poll. The new count was Cruz 14, Trump 14.
On Monday, the Alaska Republican Party reversed the decision after Rubio requested and the state consulted the national party and attorneys, spokeswoman Suzanne Downing said.
Section 15 of the party’s rules states, “If a Qualified Presidential Candidate drops out prior to the Republican State Convention, the percentage of national delegates pledged to that candidate shall be reapportioned among the Qualified Presidential Candidates.”
Rubio based his case on the meaning of “drops out.” Since he has suspended his campaign, not entirely dropped out, Alaska Republicans’ interpretation is that he may keep his delegates.
“Senator Rubio will have his five delegates at the national convention,” said Peter Goldberg, chairman of the state party, in a prepared statement.
Monday’s action comes as establishment Republicans fight to keep Trump from gaining 1,237 pledged national delegates, the majority needed to become the Republican general election candidate.
In an intriguing quirk, Rubio requested his five delegates be pledged to him only for the first ballot at the convention. If Trump fails to gain 1,237 delegates before the convention, multiple ballots will be needed to select a candidate.
Under the rules of the state party, Alaska’s 28 pledged delegates will be required to follow the results of the preference poll for two ballots.
Downing said it is not yet clear whether Rubio’s request will supercede the regular state party rules.
• Contact reporter James Brooks at james.k.brooks@juneauempire.com.
