Donalf Trump may be really, really rich, but its not apparent that hes using his great fortune to get his delegates to the Republican convention in July.
Trump is lucky his supporters are loyal. Like, beg for money on the Internet loyal.
At least seven Trump delegates have resorted to crowdfunding to send themselves to the convention, setting up pages on GoFundMe, a popular fundraising platform, asking for sums ranging from $1,000 to to $10,000.
While their tenacity is a testament to the enthusiasm surrounding Trumps campaign, it also calls into question whether his operation is organized enough to secure his nomination on the convention floor in Cleveland if he fails to earn the 1,237 delegates necessary to win outright before July. Because if his delegates dont show, they dont get to vote.
These resourceful Trump backers include a former US Navy submariner in the Vietnam War, a chairman of a local North Carolina Republican party, a Texas real estate agent and a cell phone salesman from Maine.
From what I was told, everything is out of pocket, Mark Parsons, 43, a veteran and Uber driver who lives in Las Vegas and was elected to serve as a delegate at his countys convention, told The Daily Beast in a phone interview. Parsons couldnt remember who, specifically, had told him that, but he said he learned it at his countys convention.
Were responsible for our own travel expenses and everything else, he said.
According to Paul Ryan of the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington, D.C. think tank, thats not a hard and fast rule. Candidates and their campaign committees may pay to send delegates to the convention, Ryan said in an email.
But candidates and their campaign committees havent always had incentive to assume responsibility for the cost of their delegates travel, which can be astronomical. For example, few hotel rooms are still available in Cleveland during the dates of the July convention, but those that are are going for upwards of $1,000 a night.
Delegates have historically paid their way from the living room to the convention floor, according to Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
The fact they are responsible for paying their way is not odd, Olsen told The Daily Beast. Promises they will do so is a factor some state parties use to recommend or select prospective delegates.
But the utilization of online crowdfundingused for all sorts of things, ranging from medical bills to a Nicholas Cage-themed dating websiteis a thoroughly modern twist, as well as a risky one. And Trump supporters arent alone; delegates for Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders have asked the Internet for help funding their travel, too.
