Coburn to CR: My Only Campaign is for the Convention of the States
Rumors swirl about Sasse, Romney, or Coburn launching an independent bid. Coburn sets the record straight.
Rumors and buzz around a potential third party run for president had reportedly been taking some form recently.
Politico Playbook posted Wednesday morning:
Members of the conservative intelligentsia aching for a Republican to run independent against Trump have concluded that there is “a difficult but viable path” for an independent, based largely on the unusual unpopularity of the two nominees.
A well-known conservative told us the final three possibilities are Sen. Ben Sasse, age 44, of Nebraska; former Sen. Tom Coburn, 68, of Oklahoma; and Mitt Romney, 69.
This conservative told us to expect renewed buzz around this possibility over the next week, and sees “a 50-50 chance that one of the three will do it.”
The “difficult but viable path” spoken of is likely in reference to the fact that an independent candidate would probably not be able to do anything but play spoiler.
Supporters of a third party run hope that a candidate could win a few states and deny Trump or Clinton the majority of delegates, thus handing the election over to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
RedState reporting on the three rumored candidates deduced that Coburn, if any, would be the choice:
However, in response to CR’s request for comment on the assertions made by RedState, Coburn said: “I am not running for anything except a convention of states to limit scope and power of federal government.”
That response may prove the story to be nothing more than rumor. But CR will continue to monitor any developments.
Source: Coburn to CR: My Only Campaign is for the Convention of the States
