Donald Trump

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in Washington, D.C., on March 21, 2016. The New York State Republican Committee will not allow Trump and the other GOP presidential candidates to select their own delegates to the Republican National Convention in July. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

(Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A change in how GOP delegates will be selected in New York's presidential primary could aid party operatives trying to thwart the nomination of Donald Trump in a brokered Republican National Convention this summer in Cleveland.

The New York Republican State Committee approved the rules change last year, marking the first time in decades that GOP presidential candidates won't be allowed to select their own delegates from the Empire State. Instead, the state party will decide.

The new process rewards longtime party loyalists in the state - taking power away from the presidential candidates and their most fervent supporters in the April 19 primary.

The change could have a significant impact on Trump, who is heavily favored to win his home state's primary. The delegates awarded to Trump by New York GOP committee members would be bound under state party rules to vote for him only through the first ballot at the convention.

Since the party-appointed delegates may not have fierce loyalty to Trump, they could be among the first to bolt if he falls short of the 1,237 votes needed to clinch the nomination, GOP insiders say.

Such a scenario would make New York, whose 95 GOP delegates are the fourth-highest total of any state, an important bargaining chip in a brokered convention, said David Catalfamo, a Republican strategist in the state.

Catalfamo, who worked for a national super PAC that briefly tried to draft House Speaker Paul Ryan as an alternative GOP convention nominee, said he can see why presidential candidates won't like New York's new delegate rules.

He said state Republican Committee members are more likely to choose delegates who are party loyalists in each of New York's 27 congressional districts. State committee members will award delegates to the candidates proportionally, based on the election result in each district.

"You're not likely to see a hard-core supporter of whoever wins that congressional district" appointed as a delegate, Catalfamo said. "So I can see a dilution effect."

He said those delegates are more likely to be persuaded to support someone else if the Republican convention turns into a brokered contest with multiple ballots.

"I am sure the Trump campaign and all of the others are going to start to voice some concerns about this process," Catalfamo said.

One Trump ally is already speaking out.

Roger Stone, a longtime Republican political operative, warned in an email to supporters this week that Trump opponents may try to send "Trojan horse delegates" to the Republican convention to thwart his nomination.

"This is going on in Texas, New York, Michigan, Connecticut and North Dakota and other states," Stone wrote.

He added, "It's entirely plausible that a state could seat delegates pledged to support Donald Trump who have open affiliations with other candidates."

New York Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox dismissed such speculation. He told syracuse.com that he views the new delegate rule as a positive force for building the Republican brand in a blue state that rarely sees contested presidential primaries.

Cox said the change will reward grassroots supporters, rather than allowing candidates to appoint their own friends and family as delegates.

"You get sisters, cousins, aunts and people who never did anything for the party, and they just want to sign up anyone who hasn't done anything," Cox said of the previous delegate system. "Now this is a party-building thing, and this gets them involved in the political process."

Asked if the state GOP's party-appointed delegates might be an important force at a brokered convention, Cox said only, "It could be, or it might not be."

The GOP chairman and most New York Republican leaders have remained neutral in the presidential race, despite pressure from the Trump campaign for endorsements.

Onondaga County Republican Chairman Tom Dadey is among a handful of GOP county chairs in New York who have publicly endorsed Trump. Dadey is also one of the reasons behind the change in the delegate rule, prompted by his own barroom dispute four years ago.

At the Republican National Convention in Tampa in 2012, Dadey was involved in a scuffle over his delegate status with Rob Cole, who managed Mitt Romney's campaign in New York.

Dadey and other members of New York's delegation were upset that some state party loyalists had been passed over in the delegate selection process for Romney donors and family supporters.

Dadey had lower status as an alternative delegate, while Jane Loftus, of Skaneateles, the mother-in-law of Romney's campaign manager, was appointed a full delegate, syracuse.com reported in 2012.

When Dadey and Cole met in a hotel bar, the two argued and Dadey shoved Cole before security intervened, Politico New York reported last year.

Dadey did not respond to a request for comment about the convention incident or the new delegate selection rules.

Former U.S. Rep. James Walsh, who represented the Syracuse area in Congress for 20 years, attended the 2012 GOP convention as a Romney-appointed delegate. But Walsh said he has no problem accepting the new delegate selection rules.

This year, Walsh is a member of Ohio Gov. John Kasich's presidential campaign steering committee, and he would like to serve as a Kasich delegate.

"If somebody else is going to choose the delegates, the party structure should do that, not the candidates," Walsh said. "I don't really take issue with the party selecting the delegates, as long as it's a merit-based decision and not just their friends."

Asked if he would go to the convention pledged as a Trump delegate for the first ballot, Walsh said, "I would only go as a Kasich delegate. Why would I want to represent someone else?"

Trump, ultimately, will have a chance to use his deal-making skills to keep his New York delegates aligned behind his nomination, Walsh said.

"Trump bills himself as the greatest dealmaker, so here's his chance," Walsh said. "Let's see if he can get a deal. If he doesn't, he's done."

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