Advocates of Contested Convention Face 8-State Rule

The Hill: “As things currently stand, only a candidate who has the backing of a majority of delegates from eight states can even make it onto the nominating ballot. The easiest way to acquire such backing is to win eight primaries. But at present, Ted Cruz is four states shy of that mark, Marco Rubio has won only one contest and no other candidate, barring Trump, has won anything.”

“The eight-state rule would also plainly block the idea of some new candidate emerging at the convention — 2012 nominee Mitt Romney or Speaker Paul Ryan, for example — as a figure around whom Trump opponents could rally.”

One way out: “Delegates could change those rules again this year, to lower or remove the eight-state threshold — a move that would create uproar but would also be a huge boon to those hoping to stop Trump.”