New York, NY (Reuters-Emily Flitter) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump shook up his campaign staff as he looked beyond an expected primary victory on Tuesday in his home state of New York to the delegate battle that will determine the party's nominee for November's election.
The real estate tycoon told staff over the weekend that new additions to his campaign team, veteran political strategists Paul Manafort and Rick Wiley, will take the lead in upcoming presidential contests, according to a Republican source familiar with the campaign's operations.
The enhanced roles came with a $20 million budget for contests in May and June, Politico reported, as Trump fights to secure support of delegates who will choose the party nominee at the Republican National Convention in July.
Opinion polls show Trump has a double-digit lead in New York, where the "winner takes most" primary carries 95 delegates, over his closest challenger, Ted Cruz.
While Trump has won more nominating contests and votes than Cruz, the U.S. senator from Texas has outfoxed him in the state-by-state efforts to make sure his own supporters are chosen as delegates to the national convention.
If Trump does not secure enough delegates needed to win the nomination outright at the convention, delegates would be allowed to switch to another candidate.