– Unstoppable? –
Trump was riding high following the latest contests, declaring that his rivals had “zero” chance of winning the 1,237 delegates necessary to earn the nomination ahead of the convention.
He now stands at 945 delegates, according to CNN’s running estimate. Cruz was a distant second with 563, while Kasich increased his numbers only slightly, to 152.
But the convoluted system of delegate allocation in some states means Trump is still a considerable way from reaching 1,237.
Out of Pennsylvania’s 71 delegates, only 17 are pledged to the winner Trump. The remaining 54 are essentially wildcards, heading unpledged to the convention where they are free to vote as they see fit.
Cruz, speaking Tuesday in Indiana, sounded eager to move on to what he called “more favourable terrain.”
But according to a recent CBS poll, Trump leads in The Hoosier State with 40 percent of likely Republican voters, with Cruz five points back.
“If Trump takes Indiana, it’s very, very difficult to see how they can stop him,” Morone said.
If he falls short of outright victory, Trump runs the risk that his delegates, most of whom are bound to vote for him in only the first round, will desert him in subsequent rounds.
Cruz and Kasich have openly said they are counting on a contested convention, where they have a shot at wooing enough delegates to snatch the nomination.
Trump recently faced criticism when a top aide revealed the candidate was preparing to reshape his image, but Trump insisted he was not undergoing a makeover.
“If you have a football team and you are winning and then you get to the Super Bowl, you don’t change your quarterback,” Trump said. “So I’m not changing.”
He also offered a preview of what a Trump-Clinton matchup would look like, saying she would play the “woman’s card” during the general election.
“She has nothing else going. Frankly, if Hillary Clinton were a man, I don’t think she would get five percent of the vote.”
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