Trump vanquished his rivals at the ballot box and, for the first time, he pulled off the same feat in this weekend’s delegate elections, punching tickets for dozens of allies from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Minnesota. Ted Cruz, who quit the GOP primary on Tuesday, had skewered Trump in these quiet battles at state and local GOP conventions. But his forces were nowhere to be seen Saturday.
Trump’s supporters carried more than half of the 68 delegate elections in the four states holding contests this weekend — and most of the others were party elders who have vowed to support the GOP’s nominee, even if they haven’t explicitly backed Trump. Trump’s campaign also showcased a tighter relationship with party insiders, coordinated with state-party leaders to make sure pro-Trump paraphernalia littered the convention halls and that banners reading “Defeat Hillary! Vote Trump!” lined the rooms. A banner in South Carolina was even signed by delegates and marked for delivery to Trump’s New York headquarters as a memento of his success in the state.
