blogs.denverpost.com/thespot/2016/04/02/ted-cruz-wins-colorado-delegates-donald-trump/125427/
AURORA Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz took the first six national delegates awarded in Colorado, winning all the seats elected at two congressional district conventions Saturday.
Of the six delegates and six alternates elected, 10 pledged support to the Texas senator and two are unpledged.
Donald Trump supporters made loud noise at the conventions and John Kasich put forward a three-delegate slate — but both candidates were shut out.
The overwhelming win showcased the Cruz campaign’s months-long efforts behind the scenes in Colorado, led by U.S. Rep. Ken Buck with help from grassroots organizations, Gun Owners of America and the Faith and Freedom Coalition.
The six awarded Saturday represent just a fraction of the 34 delegates Colorado will award in the next week. The remaining three of the state’s 37 total are party leaders who are so far unpledged.
Colorado canceled its binding straw poll, forcing the campaigns to fight through the caucus process for candidates who may remain unbound to the national convention. Each of the state’s seven congressional districts elect three delegates to Cleveland and the final 13 are picked at the state GOP convention April 9 in Colorado Springs.
The early results affirm that the state’s caucus system favors the candidate with the best organization, despite dedicated fans for Trump.
“This is fundamentally a grassroots, conservative state,” said John Carson, a CU Regent and Cruz supporter elected here at the Congressional District 6 convention.
Earlier in the day, at the Congressional District 1 convention in Littleton, about 100 party activists competed for three delegate (and three alternate) seats.
Each gave a 30 second pitch that showcased the polarizing nature of Trump’s campaign. At one point, the local sheriff had to stand between Cruz and Trump supporters engaged in a heated shouting match.
“I’m a conservative and it’s time to make a stand. So I’m pledged to Ted Cruz,” said Ronald Adams, a national delegate candidate. “One reason is because Donald Trump is like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.”
A minute later, Kevin Kijewski, a superintendent of Catholic schools at the Archdiocese of Denver, said: “I want to beat Hillary Clinton this November. … If we take a look at Ted Cruz, and vote for him to be our nominee, he’s not going to get the Democratic and independent voters. We have to unify. A vote for Cruz is a vote for Hillary. Vote Trump.”
The majority of the delegates who ran as unbound appeared to favor Cruz, or expressed support for any candidate but Trump. Kasich ran a slate of three candidates, but none registered high in the vote.
The three national delegates elected — former Secretary of State Scott Gessler, state Rep. Justin Everett and former state Senate candidate Tony Sanchez — are all committed to Cruz.
Gessler ran on the official Cruz campaign slate and Everett and Sanchez also appeared on the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners ticket. Two of the three alternates — Carolyn Olson and Bill Eigles — were Cruz campaign delegates, and the final alternate is Ray Garcia, a Cruz supporter and state House candidate.
Later in the afternoon, in Congressional District 6 in Aurora, the three candidates selected all came from the official Cruz campaign list, Carson, Randy Corporon and Regina Thomson.
The alternates (in order) are Arapahoe County GOP Chairwoman Joy Hoffman, who is uncommitted as a party leader; Andy Jones, a pledged Cruz delegate; and Brian Arnold, who ran unpledged.
It takes 19 delegates to claim a majority in Colorado — and the Cruz campaign is pushing for a win, organizers said.
For the state convention, the list of potential national delegates favors Cruz — though the majority are declared as unpledged.
Cruz will speak at the convention. Trump is close to confirming, state party officials said. Kasich does not plan to attend.
