Dallas (WBAP/KLIF News) – The head of the Dallas County Republican party acknowledges that the Texas GOP may face a difficult decision at next week’s state Republican convention at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
“We have 150 delegates we’re sending to the national convention,” says Dallas GOP Chair Mark Montgomery. “Texas has a big role.”
Now that Ted Cruz has dropped his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, Montgomery says the path for Donald Trump has become clearer, but he says some delegates in Cruz’ home state may be torn.
“I’m not sure what all the issues could be at this point,” Montgomery says. “This is something brand new to us this morning. We’ll just have to see what comes out.”
A recent poll by the University of Texas and Texas Tribune showed 32 percent of Texas voters “disapprove strongly” with Cruz’ work in the Senate. Among Republicans, that number drops to nine percent. Thirty-eight percent of Republicans “approve strongly,” compared to just three percent of Democrats and nine percent of independents.
Montgomery says Texas voters who disapprove of Cruz may still blame him for the government shutdown in 2013.
“It has been a struggle,” he says. “We’ll keep trudging on; we’ll make it. He’s got a great future ahead.”
In the University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll, 76 percent of people identified themselves as “liberal” strongly disapproved of Cruz; 38 percent of moderates answered the same way.
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