It’s unlikely, Save Jerseyans. But it’s more possible than it’s been in decades.
A “brokered” GOP national convention in just 194 days.
As it stands today, Mitt Romney leads the delegate count (98) followed by Santorum (44), Gingrich (32) and Paul (20). The eventual nominee needs 1,144 of 2,286 available delegates to clinch the nomination. Romney is likely to win a plurality of delegates between now and end of August; but what happens if he arrives in Tampa without a majority? Or even less than 1,000 delegates?
Of course it’s purely hypothetical. And if a brokered convention actually went down, the final result would be nearly impossible to predict in advance. Would an “establishment” supported candidate like Jeb Bush, Paul Ryan or Chris Christie enter the race a few ballots deep to relieve a damaged Romney? Could Santorum, Gingrich and Paul pool their delegates, compromise on the party platform and choose among themselves? Or would someone from the Tea Party faction (Sarah Palin, Allen West or Jim DeMint) capitalize on an emotional moment and instigate a floor revolt with a rousing call-to-arms speech?
For now, let’s see who YOU would expect to see emerge on the final ballot…
I would bet on Mitch Daniels.