Contested convention is looking more likely, says Speaker Ryan

[WestVirginiaRebel]

The Hill:

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Thursday there’s no chance he’ll emerge as the GOP presidential nominee if no candidate captures enough delegates before this summer’s convention.

 

For the first time, however, Ryan acknowledged the increasing likelihood that the GOP nominee will be decided in Cleveland at what’s known as a contested or open convention.

 

Donald Trump is the clear front-runner, but whether he can clinch the nomination by winning 1,237 delegates before the party's July convention remains to be seen.

“Nothing has changed other than the perception that this is more likely to be an open convention than we thought before,” Ryan, the ceremonial chairman of the convention, told reporters. “We’re getting our minds around the idea that this could very well become a reality and that those of us who are involved in the convention need to respect that.”

 

The Speaker’s comments Thursday suggest party leaders are beginning to prepare for a floor fight at the convention at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland.

 

When The Hill asked him in January about a possible contested convention, Ryan dismissed the idea.

“I think it’s ridiculous to talk about it,” he said at the GOP retreat in Baltimore.

 

But now, as convention chairman, Ryan said he’ll need to “bone up” on not only his ceremonial duties but also on the party rules governing what’s expected to be a raucous, unpredictable convention.

________

 

But remember, he's not interested in being the nominee...