Houston(CNN) Marco Rubio's campaign is preparing for a contested Republican Convention as one option to take the GOP nomination away from Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, his campaign manager told top donors at a closed-door meeting in Manhattan Wednesday night.
Marco Rubio super PAC hits Super Tuesday airwaves without rivals
As Rubio scrambles for support ahead of Super Tuesday, Terry Sullivan, Rubio's top adviser, used a Power Point presentation and took questions from attendees to lay out the two courses that Rubio's quest for the GOP nomination could take in the coming months, two people present told CNN, speaking anonymously to share details from a private meeting.
Who's running for president?
Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, John Kasich, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders,
Businessman Donald Trump
announced June 16 at his Trump Tower in New York City that he is seeking the Republican presidential nomination. This ends more than two decades of flirting with the idea of running for the White House.
"So, ladies and gentlemen, I am officially running for president of the United States, and we are going to make our country great again," Trump told the crowd at his announcement.
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has made a name for himself in the Senate, solidifying his brand as a conservative firebrand willing to take on the GOP's establishment. He
announced he was seeking the Republican presidential nomination in a speech on March 23.
"These are all of our stories," Cruz told the audience at Liberty University in Virginia. "These are who we are as Americans. And yet for so many Americans, the promise of America seems more and more distant."
Ohio Gov. John Kasich joined the Republican field July 21 as he formally announced his White House bid.
"I am here to ask you for your prayers, for your support ... because I have decided to run for president of the United States," Kasich told his kickoff rally at the Ohio State University.
Hillary Clinton
launched her presidential bid on April 12 through a video message on social media. The former first lady, senator and secretary of state is considered the front-runner among possible Democratic candidates.
"Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion -- so you can do more than just get by -- you can get ahead. And stay ahead," she said in her announcement video. "Because when families are strong, America is strong. So I'm hitting the road to earn your vote, because it's your time. And I hope you'll join me on this journey."
Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, announced his run in an email to supporters on April 30. He has said the United States needs a "political revolution" of working-class Americans to take back control of the government from billionaires.
"This great nation and its government belong to all of the people and not to a handful of billionaires, their super PACs and their lobbyists," Sanders said at a rally in Vermont on May 26.
Everything changes March 1
The first showed the number of states and delegates Rubio would need to clinch the nomination outright before July's convention. The second was the scenario in which none of the candidates gain the simple majority delegates needed to clinch the nomination before the convention, unleashing a messy and potentially unpredictable battle where multiple candidates are vying for the title.
The meeting comes as Rubio is trying to lock up the support of establishment Republicans looking for an alternative to Trump and Cruz. The Rubio campaign needs to convince donors and GOP power brokers that it has a true path to victory. Trump is heading into Super Tuesday as the undisputed GOP front-runner, having won New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, and Rubio has not yet won a state.
Sullivan has acknowledged in the past that a brokered convention might be hypothetically possible, but Wednesday's comments are a concrete indication that the campaign is preparing for such an outcome.
Sullivan gave a "technical" explanation of how a contested or brokered convention would work. According to the sources in the room, the gathering appeared to be a matter-of-fact recognition by the Rubio campaign that a contested convention is very much a possibility.
"One is somebody -- Trump or Rubio -- wins enough primaries to sew up the nomination in advance of the convention," one attendee said. "The other is that nobody does, and the two candidates go to the convention."
Can you guess the 2016 contenders' campaign logos?
Former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Florida
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Democrat
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, independent from Vermont running for Democratic nomination
Real estate mogul Donald Trump, Republican
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas
John Kasich, R-Ohio
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Republican
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, who has dropped out of the presidential race.
Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pennsylvania, who has dropped out of the presidential race.
Former Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, who has dropped out of the presidential race.
Former Gov. George Pataki, R-New York, who has dropped out of the presidential race.
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Arkansas, who has dropped out of the presidential race.
Former Gov. Martin O'Malley, D-Maryland, who has dropped out of the presidential race.
Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, Republican, who has dropped out of the presidential race.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, who has dropped out of the presidential race.
Former U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee, D-Rhode Island, who has dropped out of the presidential race.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Republican, who has dropped out of the presidential race.
Former U.S. Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, Republican, who has dropped out of the presidential race
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Republican, who has dropped out of the presidential race
On how Rubio could get the nomination before the convention, Sullivan discussed the possibilities of John Kasich and Ben Carson dropping out, that attendee also said.
Rubio spokesman Alex Conant declined to comment. Sullivan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sullivan also expressed confidence that Rubio would win the Florida primary, two attendees said, despite polling showing Rubio trailing Trump in his home state.
There were close to some 200 people present at the midtown Manhattan meeting -- and among them were former Jeb Bush supporters, the people present said.
Coming just days after Bush abandoned his White House bid, one question from these donors and potential bundlers -- not all of whom had decided to back Rubio -- was whether the Rubio team could reassure them that their money and time would not once again go to waste, according to one attendee.
"They wanted to know that we on the Rubio side are going to be good stewards," the person said.