While GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum suspended his campaign Tuesday, the campaign to turn Texas into a winner-take-all primary continues.
“This does not affect the push to have an Emergency Texas GOP SREC [State Republican Executive Committee] Meeting to change our rules back to Winner Take All,” SREC member David Bellow explained following Santorum’s announcement.
Some SREC members have been pushing to call for an emergency meeting to vote to change Texas from a proportional primary to winner-take-all. Santorum supporters had hoped that a win of all Texas’ delegates would help to revive his campaign.
Bellow told The Daily Caller that the SREC has the necessary support from 15 committee members to petition for an emergency meeting. Supporters of the measure, however, have yet to schedule that meeting because they want to be certain there are enough votes to change the delegate math prior the meeting.
According to Bellow, the effort has never been about Santorum — but about keeping Texas relevant in the primary process.
The Republican National Committee told TheDC last week that it is unlikely it would grant Texas a waiver to change their delegate apportionment. According to Bellow, however, the state does not need the RNC’s approval. But the national organization could levy a penalty at the Tampa national convention for deviating from the approved primary process.
Bellow added that with Santorum out it is even more likely that Texas will become winner-take-all.
“I think it is even more likely now that the rest of the SREC members will join on. Because with Santorum dropping out it makes it very likely that it will not be a brokered convention and that Romney will be able to secure the nomination,” he explained, adding that he doubts the Republican National Convention will punish Texas for changing their primary math because there will be a goal of unity. “I really don’t think the national delegates are going to stir anything up and try to punish Texas.”
The Texas primary is scheduled to take place May 28.
A CNN source said the improbability of Texas becoming winner-take-all was a factor in Santorum’s decision to bow out.
