According to NEWSTALK FLORIDA and other media outlets are reporting GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz plans to name former CEO and presidential candidate Carly Fiorina as his running mate. The goal is to make one last stand to stop front runner Donald Trump from getting the 1,237 delegates needed to win the Republican nomination at the convention in Cleveland.
Cruz is attempting to steal back the headlines and the momentum that Trump has gained over the last two weeks as he has rolled up big delegate numbers. By adding Fiorinia to the ticket gives conservatives a strong duo, but clearly one that appeals to those wanting an outsider team.
“Texas Sen. Ted Cruz will announce on Wednesday afternoon that former presidential rival Carly Fiorina has agreed to be his running mate should he win the GOP presidential nomination,” WMUR was the first to report. Cruz announced earlier Wednesday that he planned to make a “major announcement” at 4 PM in Indianapolis. Almost immediately, speculation began that he would be making a vice presidential pick, with Fiorina often listed as among possible running mates.
Shortly afterwards, reports of Fiorina sightings in Indianapolis began to pour in. NBC cameras caught her in the city, and Twitter users quickly resurrected a tweet from Tuesday in which a BBC correspondent reported seeing Fiorina on her way to Indianapolis.
Carly Fiorina on my flight to indy, wonder why! Not in first either
— Gary O’Donoghue (@BlindGazza) April 26, 2016
The announcement, which was teased early Wednesday morning and will be made official Wednesday afternoon, comes the day after Cruz suffered a drubbing at the hands of Trump in five northeastern primaries – losses that mathematically eliminated Cruz from getting the 1,237 delegates he’d need to clinch the GOP nomination.
Cruz’s hopes now rest in a contested convention this summer in Cleveland, where the Texas senator would hope to stop Trump on the first ballot and then win in subsequent rounds of voting thanks to support from the loyal delegates his campaign has assiduously courted.
Cruz is campaigning fervently this week in Indiana, where primary rules award the winner most of the state’s 57 delegates. With Trump’s victories Tuesday night, and with most of Pennsylvania’s 54 unbound delegates are leaning in Trump’s direction, Cruz needs success in Indiana and California if he’s to stop Trump from clinching the nomination.
The most recent Indiana polls show Trump polling around 40 percent, between 5 and 8 percentage points ahead of Cruz. Those polls were conducted before John Kasich – who’s polling around 20 percent in the state – announced that he would no longer actively campaign in Indiana, in exchange for Cruz agreeing to no longer actively campaigning in Oregon and New Mexico.
