NeverTrumpers Plot Their Final Move to ‘Dump Trump’

When election day comes on Nov. 8, the members of the #NeverTrump faction of the Republican Party will have known they have literally done everything they can procedurally to stop Donald Trump from being the GOP presidential nominee.

Their latest—and last available—effort involves a little-known rule of the Republican National Committee whereby if at least 16 RNC members from at least 16 different states or territories sign a petition, the party can begin proceedings that might lead to Trump’s removal from the ballot. However, that would only force a vote on the matter—to remove the candidate would require a majority of the 168-member RNC.

The effort is being led by Regina Thomson, president of Colorado Tea Party Patriots, who previously helped lead the “free the delegates” movement prior to the Republican National Convention last month in Cleveland. She reportedly told TheBlaze the effort was a “work in progress.”

“This is the only avenue left within the RNC rules,” she said. “We’re committed to working within the Republican Party process and this is the next step—and only step—left within the rules to change the nominee.”

It’s not clear that the group’s interpretation of RNC rules is correct. Thomson also said she expected the party to “strong arm” those who support the effort into removing that support after the fact, but she said the group will continue to fight for a different nominee until all of their options are exhausted.

“If [Trump] is not elected, we don’t want anyone in the RNC to come back and look at us and say, ‘You people out there nominated him, it’s your fault,'” she said. “No, it’s not, because we’ve taken every avenue out there available to us to tell you that he’s a flawed candidate and we need to take a different path.

“So we want to prevail, but we also want to make sure we don’t leave any stone unturned.”