Stopping Trump here
Californians who are determined to deny Donald Trump the Republican nomination for president are likely to get their chance.
While Trump has a substantial lead over the two remaining contenders, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, the real-estate tycoon is almost certain to remain short of the 1,237 delegates required for nomination when Californians go to the polls June 7.
Trump’s ascent has been a source of alarm for many Republicans who care about the future of the party — as well as for all Americans who appreciate civility and substance in political discourse. His authoritarian streak and dismissiveness toward dissent has been evident in everything from his proposals to deport millions of Mexican immigrants and block Muslims from entry to the U.S. to his vulgar response to anyone who challenges his policies or fast-and-loose treatment of history and the law.
His disregard for decorum and the truth, along with his hostility toward free trade, were among the reasons the Economist rated a Trump presidency as one of the 10 biggest economic threats to the planet. Beyond that, many Republicans have a specific concern about Trump: reliability. His history of evolving positions raises questions about his core values.
While Cruz has little chance of overtaking Trump before the Cleveland convention in July — and Kasich has no possibility — a strong showing by either or both in a California primary dominated by conservatives would fuel the hopes of the stop-Trump movement.
Key points about the California GOP primary:
There are 172 delegates at stake, or 14 percent of the national total. The vast majority of delegates are awarded to the winner of each of the state’s 53 congressional districts.
Only Republicans can vote in the GOP presidential primary. Democrats allow decline-to-state voters to choose to vote in their primary.
The last day to register to vote — or change party registration — is May 23.
Republicans are in a difficult predicament, with no painless escape route. If Trump wins the nomination, he will be the face of the party, with all his boorishness on display. If a third-party candidate emerges — as a result of Trump either getting or losing the nomination — the Democrats would have a clearer path to victory.
Trump has made plain that he would not go away quietly if he enters the convention with a plurality of delegates. He suggested last week that “I think you’d have riots” in such a scenario — yet another example of reckless rhetoric from a candidate who has talked about punching protesters in the face and paying the legal fees of supporters who attack demonstrators.
The GOP primary has been dispiriting in tone and content from the start. The contrast with the spirited but issues-oriented Democratic contest between Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders could not be greater. Americans deserve a similarly robust and substantive matchup between the two major parties.
Everything about Donald Trump’s campaign to date suggests he is not up to the challenge. And if he were to abruptly change his act — becoming more presidential after a year of behaving badly — that would carry its own air of suspicion.
State voters must seize the chance to send a strong message about this degradation of the political process.