This State Just Threatened to Take Trump Off the Republican Ballot

26 Aug, 2015 by McGuire

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Donald Trump has until the end of next month to formally declare his allegiance to the Republican Party or his name will not appear on the South Carolina presidential primary ballot. Though I am sure that The Donald just may get a few write-ins, regardless of his name on a ballot:

South Carolina GOP Chairman Matt Moore confirmed the requirement this afternoon all that candidates filing as Republicans must pledge not to turn as a third-party candidate should they lose the nomination.

At least two other states – Virginia and North Carolina – are contemplating similar moves as way of keeping the unpredictable billionaire in check.

The deadline to sign South Carolina’s pledge is September 30.

Already, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Ben Carson have affixed their signatures. Moore said in a statement that Scott Walker, Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham had committed to doing the same, within the next week.

Still missing, among others, are Trump, Carly Fiorina, Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee and Chris Christie.

A spokeswoman for Trump declined to comment on the ultimatum that is clearly directed at the former Democrat who has said he could compete in the general election as an independent if he doesn’t win the GOP nomination.

‘I want to keep that door open. I have to keep that door open because if something happens where I’m not treated fairly I may very well use that door,’ Trump said on CNN several weeks ago.
He drew boos at the first GOP presidential debate for refusing to guarantee he would back the party’s nominee next November if it’s not him.

Yet, he’s continued to gallop ahead of the 16-deep pack of committed conservatives who verbally promised that night to endorse the eventual winner of the Republican contest.

He’s locked up three in 10 voters in South Carolina, a Monmouth University poll released today shows. Second-place finisher Carson has just half his support, 15 percent.

No one else in the field cracks 10 percent, though Bush comes close with 9.

The South Carolina ballot pledge, provided by SCGOP to reporters, states, in part, ‘I hereby affirm that I generally believe in and intend to support the nominees and platform of the Republican Party in the November 8, 2016 general election.’

‘I acknowledge if I have not jointly submitted this form and the filing fee by the 5:00 P.M. September 30, 2015 filing deadline, my name is not eligible to appear on the ballot.

The Republican Party of Virginia will decide whether to add language to its filing paperwork along the same lines at its September 19 meeting, according to Politico. Candidates who want to appear on the ballot there would have until October 1 to fulfill the party-mandated guidelines.
RPV Chairman John Whitbeck insisted in an interview that the move ‘isn’t about any single candidate.’
The state’s so-called sore-loser law would block any candidate who seeks the Republican, or Democratic nomination, from running as independent in the general election anyhow.

So, regardless of whether the party includes language on its primary ballot demanding candidates rule out a third-party run, Trump would have to decide whether he’s all-in for the Republican Party by the Oct. 1 filing deadline or plan to concede Virginia in the general election as an independent before he knows for certain he won’t be the GOP nominee. Seems like there is no real way to protect the downside, as Trump says in “The Art of the Deal“, but I am hoping the Donald pulls on through anyways.

Written by Katie McGuire. Send your hate mail to the author at katiefmcguire@gmail.com, or feel free to mean tweet me at @GOPKatie, where I will be sure to do very little about it.