Following news reports that top GOP leaders and advisors are preparing for a brokered convention at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, FreedomWorks CEO Adam Brandon commented:

“In 2012, Republicans took extraordinary steps to reduce the influence of grassroots conservative activists by centralizing power with a few party bosses, at the expense of grassroots leaders, insurgent candidates, and rank-and-file delegates. These steps disenfranchised many convention delegates, some of whom were involved in the process for the first time.”

“Today, the party establishment is panicked about the rise of insurgent candidates. They still don’t get it. The popularity of these candidates is a reaction to the Republican establishment’s inability to effectively fight for conservative reforms and to articulate and implement the conservative principles and policies that got them elected in the first place.”

“There’s always room for improvement in the convention process. And we believe that party leaders should prepare for the possibility that no candidate will arrive in Cleveland with the delegate count to win the nomination. That does not mean they should be making plans or taking any steps that would thwart the will of the millions of Republican voters who will have participated in the nominating process before the convention.”

“The Republican establishment is playing with fire if they take any action that is perceived to harm the winners of caucus and primary states. If that’s what they are planning or doing, they may inadvertently set the stage for independent presidential campaigns and further damage an already fractured relationship with many conservatives and Republican voters, which is why insurgent candidates are thriving in the first place.”

FreedomWorks aims to educate, build, and mobilize the largest network of activists advocating the principles of smaller government, lower taxes, free markets, personal liberty and the rule of law. For more information, please visit www.FreedomWorks.org or contact Jason Pye at JPye@FreedomWorks.org.