CLEVELAND — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the former Republican presidential candidate, took the stage Wednesday night to big cheers from the Colorado delegation but left the stage as many in the convention crowd .
Inside the Quicken Loans Arena here at the Republican National Convention, it was a stunning moment. But the Colorado delegates — and others — are suggesting that was a choreographed moment. Melanie Sturm, an Aspen delegate wrote on Twitter:
I was standing in a sea of whippers motioning to turn up the volume with boos.
— Melanie Sturm (@ThinkAgainUSA)
Whether Cruz’s fans, particularly from the cheap seats where Colorado sits, return the favor Thursday night when Trump takes the stage is mere speculation. But GOP leaders are urging the delegates that didn’t support Trump to move on, just as U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Windsor, did at the state delegation’s breakfast.
Editor’s note: Welcome to a special-edition Spot political memo from the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. More Colorado political news, notes and a look ahead to Thursday at the convention below.
Good morning from the final day of the .
— John Frank (@ByJohnFrank)
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The closing night of the GOP convention starts about 5:30 p.m. The theme is “Make America One Again.” Ivanka Trump will introduce her father.
Earlier speakers include, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, Jerry Falwell Jr. and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus.
THREE STORIES WE ARE READING:
Outside of Colorado’s revolt, this story captures what the convention feels like so far. : It was just after 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, a coveted time slot at any political convention. But at the Quicken Loans Arena here, there were rows and rows of empty seats as Kimberlin Brown, a soap opera actress and California avocado farmer, struggled to talk over the chatter of delegates heading for the exits. The session was supposed to last until 11 p.m.; the gavel fell at 10:58.
Behind Ted Cruz’s ultimate snub. : Ted Cruz could have done more than anyone on Wednesday night to unite the divided Republican Party by uttering a few simple words: Vote for Donald Trump. Instead, he chose payback.
Hick’s Out. : Hillary Clinton may name her choice for vice president as early as Friday, and despite repeated flirtations, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is not expected to propose to Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper.
“And freedom means recognizing that our Constitution allows states to choose policies that reflect local values. Colorado may decide something different than Texas. New York different than Iowa. Diversity. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. If not, what’s the point of having states to begin with?”
— Ted Cruz
WHAT TED CRUZ TOLD THE FREE THE DELEGATES LEADER: Before his speech, Cruz held a rally to thank his supporters. Kendal Unruh, the face of the #NeverTrump movement, met Cruz for the first time at the rally.
“It wasn’t like a quick handshake,” Unruh said in an interview afterward. “He pulled my hand back and he was holding my hand. He was telling me I was very brave for standing up for what is right in the face of such hostility. I said I learned from the best by watching you. He was just very intense about it.”
What set the convention crowd against Cruz is the line in which he invoked the “vote your conscience” mantra from the “Free the Delegates” organization led by Unruh and Regina Thomson, a Colorado delegate from Aurora.
Unruh posted a photo of Cruz and declared that her effort is now becoming a broader push for reforms inside the national Republican Party. To put it more bluntly, as Unruh said in an interview, the goal is to overthrow entrenched party leaders.
The point, she said, “is starting something. A house cleaning. We need to start where this problem is. We have got to get the voice of the grassroots back into controlling the party, and itap got to start with (RNC Chairman) Reince (Priebus) and the national committee people — all the people who just took the power. Now the battle starts.”
REPUBLICANS PLEDGE TO PLAY IN COLORADO: From CBS4’s Shaun Boyd, the only other Colorado-based political reporter at the convention:
Natl state director for RNC tells Colo delegation the party will bring "bus loads of people" into Colo to help with ground game.
— Shaun Boyd (@CBS4Shaun)
THE INFAMOUS SIGN: You can read about (updated with comments from the Smithsonian), . The delegates began signing it Wednesday to put their mark on history.
Colorado delegates sign the placard before it goes to the Smithsonian museum
— John Frank (@ByJohnFrank)
The Colorado delegation signatures
— John Frank (@ByJohnFrank)
ON THE SIDELINES: State House Republican leaders Brian DelGrosso and Polly Lawrence aren’t members for the Colorado delegation, but they’re here at the convention mingling with others in the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee.
The organization is gearing up to try to turn the state House red and keep GOP control in the state Senate. U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan talked to them Wednesday.
Listening to Speaker Ryan.. Great way to start the day!
— Polly Lawrence (@PollyLawrenceCO)
THE COMEDY SECTION: Only the delegates sit on the floor of the convention. The alternate delegates sit above them (and all the guests, up above them). From the back-corner “nosebleed” seats, the Colorado delegates are coming up with zingers when guests visit.
State Sen. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs, offered this one when I visited Wednesday: “If I wasn’t from Colorado, I would need supplemental oxygen up here.”
He’s here all week.