These Unbound Delegates Secured Trump's Nomination

On Thursday, the Associated Press broke the news that Donald Trump had secured enough delegates to claim the Republican nomination. The already-declared presumptive Republican nominee has 1,238 delegates, just crossing the threshold of 1,237 needed to snag the GOP nomination. So, what sent Trump over the edge in the delegate count? A small group of unbound delegates confirmed they were backing Trump to the Associated Press.

According to the news agency, 29 unbound delegates said they would cast their vote for the reality TV star at the national convention in Cleveland this July. NPR noted in its report that 15 delegates were from North Dakota, seven were from Pennsylvania, two were from West Virginia, and two were from Nevada. A single delegate came from each of these states: Colorado, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma.

The Colorado delegate, state party chairman Steve House, explained his support to the Associated Press, saying: "If he [Trump] can surround himself with the political talent, I think he will be fine." Pam Pollard, the Oklahoma GOP chairwoman, also vowed her support for Trump to the AP. "I think he has touched a part of our electorate that doesn't like where our country is," she said. "I have no problem supporting Mr. Trump."

Trump was already coming close to reaching the magic number after his landslide win at the Washington Republican primary on Tuesday. As the Associated Press noted, Trump has the potential to add to his delegate count in a big way. There are still 303 Republican delegates up for grabs on the June 7 primaries.