Trump backers yell foul over loss in Arizona

PHOENIX — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz pulled out a strategic victory at Saturday’s Arizona Republican Party convention, nailing down a large majority of delegates to the national convention amid cheating accusations from backers of businessman Donald Trump.

The Cruz slate won virtually all of the 28 atlarge national delegates and roughly split the 27 delegates selected by congressional district.

Former Gov. Jan Brewer, losing her first election in 35 years, angrily yelled “I got cheated — I got cheated,” as the results became known.

But Cruz’s Arizona campaign organizer says simple math led to the atlarge victory. Cruz offered a nearly identical slate of candidates as John Kasich backers, and the combined votes led to a win.

The victory was mainly strategic for Cruz since all 58 Arizona delegates are required to vote for Trump on the first national ballot because he won the state’s primary. There are three automatic delegates, including state party Chairman Robert Graham.

With Trump at nearly 1,000 national delegates out of 1,237 he needs to win the presidential nomination outright after recent sweeps of five eastern states, even Cruz’s Arizona backers believe Saturday’s effort is likely to be for naught.

“It’s most likely that Trump will be the next president, but I’m trying my hardest for it to be Cruz,” said state Rep. David Livingston, who is unabashedly backing Cruz.

State Treasurer Jeff DeWit, who chairs Trump’s Arizona campaign, said a challenge is possible after calls for a revote were rejected by the party.

“The Trump campaign is very unhappy with the results,” DeWit told reporters. “We don’t feel that this was a fair process. The Trump button got checked more than any other, so why do we have so few delegates?” Susan Walsh / The Associated Press

President Barack Obama (center) listens to the national anthem flanked by Jerry Seib (left) and Carol Lee, of The Wall Street Journal, at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.