/ Modified apr 15, 2016 5:12 p.m.

Republican Convention: 'Hand-to-Hand Combat' for Delegates?

Arizona Week Friday dives into details of how delegates affect national conventions.

Arizona Week Friday dives into the presidential campaign. Some are predicting a Republican National Convention in which no candidate earns the 1,267 delegates needed to win the nomination outright.

“It’s very likely that you’re going to be down to fist fighting and hand-to-hand combat because they’re going to be scraping for every delegate they can find,” said Bruce Ash, Republican National Committeeman and Arizona delegate to the Cleveland convention.

The last time this happened for Republicans was in 1952.

Here’s what it might look like:

In the first round of voting, all of Arizona’s 58 Republican delegates must vote for Donald Trump, as determined by the state’s presidential preference election.

If no candidate earns enough votes -1,237 - more rounds of voting commence. At that point most delegates would be free to change their vote.

“Whatever happens in Cleveland, and in Philadelphia for the Democrats, (it’s) all decided on the convention floor,” Ash said. “The days of smoke-filled rooms and somebody saying ‘We want Harvey to be our candidate,’ those days are over.”

And what has this election season taught us about voters?

“People are actually more tired of their own party than we’ve seen before,” said Samara Klar, a UA assistant professor of political science. “There’s a lot of negative feelings toward the party system and people want something different.”

Klar is co-author of a new book, Independent Politics. She said what drives people to be independent is the same motivation that pushes people away from politics in general.

“This election is sort of a turning point in terms of re-prioritizing for both parties,” Klar said.

On the show

  • Barbara Norrander, University of Arizona political science professor.
  • Bruce Ash, Republican national committeeman
  • Samara Klar, UA assistant professor of political science
  • The Buzz: Host Lorraine Rivera, AZPM’s Christopher Conover and Joe Higgins, co-host of Wake Up Tucson on KVOI 1030 AM, break down what people are saying about the upcoming elections.
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