Who does the GOP Draft in the Event of a Brokered Convention?

[Suburbia]

Drafting Ryan as Speaker of the House only to draft him for president ~9 months later would look pretty silly and desperate.

Exactly. I say John Thune.

[Cape Verde]

1. Rob Portman and Pat Toomey come from big, swing states and have good resume. But they have low name recognition and need to give up their Senate campaign.

2. Among the governors, Rick Snyder might be a good establishment option.

3. Wild, silly guess: John Boehner??

[Krago]

Oxley/Cotton - They'll leave voters begging for more!

[Likely Voter]

Well the most likely scenario of not having a winner on the first ballot would still be to consolidate around one of the leading candidates from the primaries. But in the unlikely scenario where they draft someone I think it could only be Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan. It is too risky to bring in someone who hasn't been vetted through a presidential campaign, and the only other choices would be Palin or McCain and neither are going to happen for obvious reasons.

[Fuzzy Bear]

If matters got to that point, it would be Ted Cruz.  The only way things will get to that point is if Donald Trump has the largest number of delegates and has polled the largest number of primary votes, but is still short of a delegate majority.  In that instance, there would have to be a candidate who would accept many, if not all, of Trump's proposals, and Cruz would fit that bill the most closely.

As much as the Establishment would hate it, they would hate losing the Senate more.  Ted and Mitch will make nice, and Mitch will humble himself sufficiently in this event.  Then, the GOP will go forth to save Mark Kirk's and Ron Johnson's respective Senate seats.

The GOP cannot be in the position of giving Trump the shaft without pleasing his supporters with the ultimate nominee.  In the end, Cruz is the only one those folks will really be happy with.  In addition, Cruz has been running the most disciplined campaign of all the candidates.  He doesn't make gaffes, and he is nothing, if not prepared.  Cruz may have seen all of this coming in his long view of things.  If so, he's the most poised to take advantage of the situation.

[California8429]

Romney-Hayley

[King]

The result of a brokered convention to stop Trump would just result in Trump still as the nominee at the cost of some unspeakable acts of violence on the convention floor and streets of Cleveland.

The establishment better watch themselves when it comes to respecting the result of the primary.