Trump Campaign Accidentally Lists Cruz Delegate Number on Colorado Slate
Team Trump has a disorganization problem in Colorado.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado -- Team Trump has a disorganization problem in Colorado.
Because there are more than 600 candidates running for the 13 delegate slots up for grabs today in Colorado, presidential campaigns are passing around lists of genuine supporters in order to consolidate votes around their preferred delegates.
But the list of recommendations that Donald Trump's campaign put out has several major errors that could cost him delegates, even if supporters follow the campaign’s instructions.
The ballot numbers listed are wrong for five of the 13 delegates Trump recommends voting for, a major problem because the ballot only shows numbers, not names.
Of the five delegate candidates who correspond with the incorrect numbers of the Trump slate, two are unpledged and one will be bound to Trump rival Ted Cruz.
In addition, his alternate slate also has two candidates numbered incorrectly.
The Trump campaign released an updated slate, but that still contained three errors and still included the delegate number bound to Ted Cruz.
The Trump campaign is blaming the errors on a previous list released by the state party, in which they claim the numbers were correct.
"Our slate card was accurate at one point," Trump senior adviser Alan Cobb told ABC News. "And the list was always changing."
The Colorado Republican Party says several versions of the list were distributed to all campaigns, so it’s possible the Trump campaign could have been referencing a previous list with outdated numbers.
However, John Kasich and Ted Cruz's slates had no errors.
Most states dole out their delegates based on the popular vote in a primary or caucus. But in Colorado, delegates are elected by local or statewide party leaders at party meetings.
Cruz has already won all 21 of the delegates allocated so far here in Colorado, navigating the complex, multilevel allocation process to fill the slots with diehard Cruz backers. Rival campaigns have been shut out so far in the state.