State delegate threatened for not supporting Trump
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – The Indiana Republican Party released the names of the 57 people who will represent the Hoosier state as delegates at this summer’s Republican National Convention, and one of those people said he has been threatened by someone claiming to be a Donald Trump supporter.
Third District Republican delegate, Kyle Babcock, recently told Politico that he doesn’t believe Donald Trump is electable. He said Trump is his third choice and he’s leaning toward John Kasich.
Babcock said he then received a threatening email from an anonymous individual named, “The American.”
“Wrong side Kyle,” the email said. “Hope the families well. Your name and info was sent to me on a list that is going public. Think before you take a step down the wrong path. The American people want to have faith in you, but it looks like a future in hiding is more appealing.”
The other two district delegates, Republican state senator Travis Holdman and 3rd District GOP Chairwoman Barbara Krisher, said they have not received any emails like this.
“I’m terribly disappointed and I just regret that we’ve lost this civil discourse in our country that folks would stoop to do such a thing, but hopefully with law enforcement taking a look at what’s been reported to them this will put an end to this kind of nonsense that’s going on,” Holdman said.
The chairman of the Allen County Republican Party, Steve Shine, said it sounds like a fiercely loyal supporter who is making unauthorized statements.
“I don’t think the email is representative of the supporters of Donald Trump,” he said. “Sometimes in a campaign there are people who are overzealous and aggressive and often spew things that are not reflective of the campaign as a whole and I would like to think that was the case.”
Some Donald Trump supporters say they’re being shut out of the delegate selection around the country for this summer’s convention. Holdman and Shine said they know of no such movement in Northeast Indiana.
“Allen County is part of the third congressional district is one of the most Republican congressional districts in the state and the 83rd in the United States and so there are supporters on all sides and I would hope that all sides keep it ladies and gentlemanly throughout the entire process,” Shine said.
In the first round of voting at the convention, delegates must vote for who their state supported. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, then it goes to a second round of voting, where delegates can vote for a different candidate.
“They are representatives of the third congressional district and as such, they have a duty to represent the wishes of Republican voters in this congressional district and I hope that after the first ballot if there is a need for another ballot that those wishes will be honored by each of the three delegates,” Shine said
The Indiana state primary is May 3. The Republican National Convention is July 18-21 in Cleveland, Ohio.