Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus (Photo by Gage Skidmore, Flickr.com)
Former GOP presidential primary candidates could face consequences if they break the Republican loyalty pledge and refuse to support Republican nominee Donald Trump, Republican National Committee Chairman (RNC) Reince Priebus said Sunday.
A number of those who sought the nomination — including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich — have already said they won’t endorse the billionaire.
“People who agreed to support the nominee, that took part in our process, they used tools from the RNC. They agreed to support the nominee, they took part in our process,” he said during an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
If they seek the nomination in the future, the road ahead likely won’t be easy, according to Priebus.
“We’re a private party. We’re not a public entity. Those people need to get on board. And if they’re thinking they’re going to run again someday, I think that we’re going to evaluate the process – of the nomination process and I don’t think it’s going to be that easy for them,” Priebus said.
Committee officials are weighing their options on how to best handle those opting to break their pledge, and limiting ballot access is being taken into consideration.
“People in our party are talking about what we’re going to do about this. I mean there’s a ballot access issue in South Carolina. In order to be on the ballot in South Carolina, you actually have to pledge your support to the nominee, no matter who that person is,” Priebus continued. “So what’s the penalty for that? It’s not a threat, but that’s just the question that we have a process in place.”
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Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus (Photo by Gage Skidmore, Flickr.com) 
