If you thought, after the results of Tuesday’s Indiana Primary, that the #NeverTrump effort was dead, think again.
The group Conservatives Against Trump, which has spearheaded the effort, released a statement shortly after U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) dropped out of the presidential race. It urged GOP delegates not to “sign off” on Trump’s nomination at the Republican National Convention in July.
“We believe a Trump nomination is not inevitable despite tonight’s result,” the group’s spokeswoman, Deborah DeMoss Fonseca, said. “We believe that an open and fair convention can produce a viable Republican candidate. As a coalition, we will continue to pursue this goal.”
How that will happen wasn’t specified Tuesday night. As a result of the rules implemented by the Republican Party prior to the 2012 convention—which the GOP has signaled it will not change prior to this year’s convention—most of the delegates’ votes are automatically locked in for the first ballot, and only two candidates will be officially considered for the nomination: businessman Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.
Make America Awesome, an anti-Trump PAC, signaled its surrender Wednesday morning. However, the Never Trump PAC said it will continue to fight against the presumptive GOP nominee in order to protect Republican candidates down-ballot, as the party tries to maintain its control over both chambers of Congress.
“Obviously Trump’s victory in Indiana makes the road ahead more challenging,” the group said in a statement Tuesday evening. “We will continue to to seek opportunities to oppose his nomination and to draw a clear line between him and the values of the conservative cause.”
Approximately 30,000 people signed a petition circulated by the group, saying they would not vote for Trump under any circumstances. It’s unclear how many of those who signed are actual Republican voters, though.
