Former Gov. Jim Gilmore ended his presidential aspirations in February after earning only 145 votes while running for the Republican nomination. Now, adding insult to injury, Gilmore was also just shut out from even being elected as a Virginia delegate to the Republican national convention.
Gilmore told The Washington Post that he had been "informally assured" he would be a Virginia delegate, but that Ted Cruz's team had mobilized to seize as many supporters as they could. As a result, the Virginia state convention over the weekend elected 10 Cruz supporters and three Trump supporters to send to Cleveland. Because Trump won the state, all delegates will be required to cast their first vote for him; the delegates would then be free to vote for whoever they want on a second ballot at a contested convention.
Still, Gilmore says he will be heading to Cleveland because "technically I'm still a candidate for president."
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Gilmore has not endorsed any candidate, and The Washington Post notes his neutrality might be what made both Cruz and Trump supporters wary of sending him to the convention.
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