We know that right now Donald Trump is the only man who can win the 1,237 delegates to gain the 2016 Republican nomination on the first ballot. He is expected to have a great Tuesday in five states, but he still can’t wrap up the nomination.
Meanwhile, Ted Cruz along with the “Stop Trump,” forces are doing everything they can to make sure that the 2016 GOP nominee is decided at the convention in Cleveland. Cruz is picking up delegates and making sure that he can close the deficit on Trump, with the idea of getting the nomination on a second or third ballot.
But Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is now a major factor in the Cruz plan to gain the nomination and also being a major player in the “Stop Trump,” movement. The goal now of the Cruz campaign is to persuade Rubio to be his running mate and secures the support of most of his delegates.
We are all aware that Rubio has said he is not interested in being anyone’s vice president. But with party bosses asking the junior senator from Florida may take a second look at being the number two man on the ticket.
Because of Cruz’s success in packing delegate slates at the state level, a majority of the convention delegates with Rubio on board the hope would be getting the nomination on the second ballot with Rubio as the vice president of a Cruz-Rubio ticket.
In the last open Republican convention, in 1976, Gerald Ford announced his selection of then-Senator Bob Dole only after he was formally nominated for president. Four years later, Ronald Reagan, the former California governor returned to the convention hall at midnight on the evening he was nominated to put up George H. W. Bush for vice president.
In both cases Ford vs. Dole and Reagan vs. Bush they were bitter foes during the campaign season’s only to come together as odd couple tickets but solidifying the party behind the ticket. It is only a rumor now but come convention time we could see a Cruz – Rubio ticket.