Scott Wartman

swartman@enquirer.com

Northern Kentucky Republicans will send supporters of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to the national convention in July.

A group of 126 Republicans on Saturday from the 20 counties of Northern Kentucky’s Fourth Congressional District gathered in the theater of Boone County High School to choose their three delegates and three alternates for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland for July.

People at the convention seemed to either support Donald Trump or Cruz.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s name never came up.

Cruz won the Fourth District in the March 5 GOPcaucus but came in second to Donald Trump statewide.

Trump wins Kentucky

Two of the delegates — U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Garrison, and Henry County GOP chairman Jon Park — wouldn’t say a preference. The rest said they supported Cruz.

From this district, the delegates are Massie, Park and Kenton County resident and tea party leader Garth Kuhnhein. The alternates are State Rep. Diane St. Onge, R-Lakeside Park; Boyd County GOP Chairman Randy Vanhoose and Boone County GOP Vice Chairwoman Phyllis Sparks.

All the candidates pledged to only vote for candidates who were on the ballot in Kentucky and have not suspended their campaigns, which as of now are Trump, Cruz and Kasich.

The GOP voted down three similar slates before picking this one. Many pressed the delegates on who they supported for president. When one proposed alternate delegate, J.D. Sparks from Oldham County, wouldn’t say, he got voted off.

Former Boone County GOP chairman Pat O'Reagan on Saturday wanted to make sure none of the delegates from Northern Kentucky wouldn't go rogue and vote for an unelectable candidate. O'Reagan supports Cruz but also thinks Trump's mass appeal could also beat Hillary Clinton.

"If you believe in will of people, which I do, you have to go with who's bringing people out to vote," O'Reagan said. "End of the day, I don't want Hillary Clinton. How do you do that? Get someone who can get more votes. I don't see Gov. Kasich connecting with the people to do that. I don't see anyone not running for president doing that."

John Kasich on Donald Trump: 'He's not prepared to be president'

Massie said he doesn’t have a preference between Trump or Cruz and wouldn’t commit when pressed by the crowd Saturday.

“I don’t have a preference between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump at this point,” Massie said. “There’s a great advantage to waiting to the end to play your card. I think there are people in this room for candidates who may decide in the next three months they are for a different candidate.”

Massie said it’s not a sound strategy to commit to a candidate, especially if it becomes a contested convention. He floated the hypothetical idea that if someone like former House Speaker John Boehner got nominated at a contested convention, he might need to vote for someone else to prevent Boehner from getting the nomination. Massie consistently voted against Boehner for House leader.

“Sometimes you have to vote for your second choice to keep your third choice from being elected,” Massie said. “What if John Boehner gets elected and the only way for me to stop that is for me to vote for our district’s second choice and not district’s first choice?”

Park also wouldn’t commit between Trump or Cruz but after the meeting said he was leaning toward Cruz.

“We have Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, and that’s who I have to choose from,” Park said.

The rest of the slate said they supported Cruz.

Northern Kentucky was the first of Kentucky's six congressional districts where Republicans chose their delegates for the Republican National Convention.

The Republican Party of Kentucky will choose its delegates at district conventions over the next few weeks leading up to the state Republican convention April 23. Of Kentucky's 46 delegates, 18 are chosen from the districts— three from each district—and 25 at the state convention. The remaining three delegates are the state chairman, Mac Brown, and two national committee members, Mike Duncan and K.C. Crosbie.

Kentucky has 46 delegates and, on the first ballot, will dole them out proportionally at the Republican National Convention based on the number of votes each candidate received in the March 5 caucus. Trump won the state and will receive 17 delegates. Cruz will get 15. Kasich and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio will each get seven. If the convention becomes contested, it delegates could change votes on subsequent ballots.

The contentious presidential primary in the Republican Party has trickled down to the local level. Two weeks ago, in meetings described by many as tense, Republicans in Kenton and Campbell counties voted down two delegate slates proposed by the party leadership. Slates of delegates proffered by tea party leaders in the counties beat out slates with established Republicans, including former U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning.

The district convention was more sedate, with the biggest sticking point for some trying to get the delegates to state which candidate they support.