Guest Contributor Olga Garber

Dear friends, We realize this year has stirred up many emotions and opinions. We are not criticizing any candidate, personality, campaign, or issue. Our goal is strictly to win in November. Please read the following careful analysis with an open mind: 1. The fact is, we are now in a four-man race. One of these men will be the GOP nominee: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, or John Kasich. 2. Donald Trump now has the lead in delegate count: 384. 3. Ted Cruz has the next highest number of delegates: 300. 4. Marco Rubio has the third highest delegate count: 151. 5. John Kasich has the lowest total delegates: 37. 6. Both of the remaining Democratic candidates for president easily top Republican front-runner Donald Trump in hypothetical general election match-ups, according to a new CNN/ORC Poll and RealClearPolitics. Based on #6 above, we would contend that our party should nominate Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, or John Kasich; however, the window to prevent Donald Trump from amassing 1,237 delegates will quickly close if we do not close ranks behind a single alternative. The points made in #6 have nothing to do with Trump's likability or stances. Again, our goal is to defeat the Democratic challenger in November. On Saturday evening Trump urged Republicans to unite behind him, threatening to run as a third party if they don't. Of the three non-Trump candidates, Ted Cruz has the momentum going into winner-take-all contests; he has the funding; and he has the ground game well under control. The only hope that either Marco Rubio or John Kasich would have to reach the nomination would be if no candidate has the required number of delegates going in, and a floor fight ensues. Any candidate who gets the nomination this way vs. the time-honored process of amassing enough delegates will likely alienate many voters in the Republican base. Further, Donald Trump has stated that he will run third party should he lose the nomination in a floor fight, thereby guaranteeing a Democratic win in November. For the sake of our country as well as the party, let’s unite behind Ted Cruz as the best hope for a Republican victory in November. More here.

Guest Contributor Olga Garber

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