Donald Trump and other hopefuls told: sign pledge to run only as a Republican
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Version 0 of 1. The Republican National Committee has challenged Donald Trump and every other candidate for the presidential nomination to sign a pledge ruling out any third-party bid. The challenge, confirmed by multiple campaigns, is aimed squarely at Donald Trump. While he is leading the packed Republican field in early polls, the billionaire businessman has repeatedly threatened to go it alone – leaving open the possibility that he could leave the party should he fail to claim the Republican presidential nomination, and making it all but impossible for the party to win the White House in 2016. Related: Donald Trump puts third-party run on back burner as poll lead balloons The Trump campaign did not respond to questions about the pledge late on Wednesday, although RNC Chairman Reince Priebus was set to meet privately with Trump on Thursday in New York City shortly before Trump addresses reporters. The meeting was confirmed by an RNC official who was not authorized to discuss the plan publicly and requested anonymity. In recent days Trump hinted he would soon decide whether to rule out a third-party bid. “We’re going to make a decision very soon,” he said on Saturday in Nashville, “and I think a lot of people are going to be very happy.” Several candidates contacted late on Wednesday confirmed they would sign the pledge, among them the Ohio governor, John Kasich, and the former Florida governor, Jeb Bush, although few doubted the intentions of the vast majority of the party’s 17 presidential contenders. The Republican National Committee’s pledge asks candidates to promise to “endorse the 2016 Republican presidential nominee regardless of who it is”. Further, it asks them to pledge “that I will not seek to run as an independent or write-in candidate, nor will I seek or accept the nomination for president of any other party”. An RNC spokesman declined to comment. |