RNC chairman: Brokered convention 'highly unlikely'

WASHINGTON, March 4 (UPI) -- Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said it is unlikely there will be a brokered convention in July to settle the GOP presidential nomination.

Priebus, answering a question at the Conservative Political Action Conference, said it was "highly unlikely" there would be a contested convention. When pressed, he said there's an "85 to 90 percent" chance a candidate will get enough delegates to clinch the nomination before the convention.

"I think the odds of a contested convention are very small. I've been saying that for a long time," Priebus said during an interview at CPAC with Fox News host Sean Hannity. "It's a strategy people can use, but look, I would suggest that it's better to win races and accumulate delegates."

As front-runner Donald Trump emerged from Super Tuesday voting with wins in seven of 12 states and 285 delegates, and the 11th GOP debate devolved into crude personal attacks, some in the party have suggested a strategy to keep Trump from the nomination.

Mitt Romney, who was the party's nominee in 2012, gave a speech Thursday deriding Trump as a presidential contender, saying he is evil and would damage the country.