Republican presidential campaigns have been contacted privately by the Republican National Committee, inquiring whether candidates would be willing to sign a loyalty pledge vowing not to run as a third-party candidate, Politico is reporting.
The move comes amid GOP fears that frontrunner Donald Trump could run as an independent in the general election.
Politico was provided a copy of the pledge:
“I [name] affirm that if I do not win the 2016 Republican nomination for president of the United States I will endorse the 2016 Republican presidential nominee regardless of who it is,” it says. “I further pledge that I will not seek to run as an independent or write-in candidate nor will I seek or accept the nomination for president of any other party.”
During the Fox News GOP debate last month, Donald Trump told moderators he would not promise to rule out a third party run. Trump said last week that a decision was coming soon as to whether he would sign such a loyalty pledge.
Trump would happily sign it and then wipe his ass with it when he loses the nomination. His supporters would cheer.
I hope it goes down like that.
What is in it for them to sign it? Trump has given all of them a way out.
Next they will all start wearing arm bands.
Even if the winner’s initials are DJT? Think before you leap people.
These people need to grow up and move on. I’m told this is step one in blocking Trump from debates, as in, only those who sign the pledge can play in out debates.
Donald Trump is here to stay and they need to deal with. They can’t stop him with silly pledges or debate rules designed to block him.
Let Trump run his campaign and he will very likely solve the problem for them. The more they try to interfere the more popular they make him.
They’re real fear, by the way, is that he can’t be bought off. They have nothing to offer Trump that he wants unlike actual politicians of both parties. If he collects enough delegates, there’s nothing to stop him from wrecking the convention and then charging full steam into a third party campaign and they are scared to death.
They should have thought about this before they invested so much time and energy into radicalizing their base. Who knew a riot was uncontrollable?