By Andrew Schneider, Houston Public Media News for Audio Texas
CLEVELAND – A last-ditch effort by conservatives to derail Donald Trump’s presidential nomination has suffered a crushing blow. A committee at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland rejected their push to let delegates support the candidate of their choice.
Anti-Trump delegates waged a messy battle over convention rules throughout the day Thursday. Their hope was to get the rules committee to release delegates from having to vote for a candidate they oppose.
“Basically, it went down in flames.”
Toni Anne Dashiell is a Republican National Committeewoman from Texas. The hundred-twelve-member panel overwhelmingly rejected the measure when it came up for a voice vote late last night. National and state GOP officials, including Dashiell, aligned with Trump backers against the insurgents.
“They needed 28 [votes] to even get a minority report, and that just didn’t happen.”
Anti-Trump delegates in the audience included a contingent from Texas. James Dickey is a delegate from Texas Congressional District twenty-five, stretching from Austin to Fort Worth.
“I think it’s ironic that Donald Trump, who claims to be an outsider, is working hand-in-glove with the RNC to work this process. And the people who support him, who want an outsider and want somebody who’ll shake it up, I don’t think they realize that.”
It’s uncertain whether the revolt’s backers can gather enough support to force the full convention to revisit the proposal when it convenes on Monday.
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