OPINION:
They said he would never run for president.
They said he would drop out by October.
They said he would endorse Hillary Clinton.
They said he would never get close to 1,237 delegates.
But, Donald Trump, the established Republican front-runner, has clearly proven them all wrong.
He is still in the race and momentum is undoubtedly on his side.
“The best way to beat the system is have evenings like this, where you have record-setting votes, where you get record-setting delegates,” Mr. Trump told his supporters following an impressive five-state sweep in the Northeast on Tuesday.
So far, Mr. Trump has won 27 primaries and caucuses and has earned the votes of over 10 million Americans, more votes than former Massachusetts Gov. and former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney received throughout the entire 2012 primary season.
Mr. Trump will easily break the 10.8 million popular vote record set by former President George W. Bush in 2000.
But, none of these votes will matter if he does not reach the magic number of 1,237 delegates.
In fact, what once was considered an impossible feat for the Trump campaign is looking more and more likely as the primary season rolls on.
Mr. Trump now has the support of 987 delegates, more than every other Republican hopeful combined.
To clinch the nomination before the convention, Mr. Trump needs to win 50 percent of the 502 delegates that are up for grabs in the upcoming 10 state contests.
With victories likely in California, West Virginia and New Jersey, an outright win is an ambitious but very achievable goal for Mr. Trump, who is already considering himself the probable nominee.
“I consider myself the presumptive nominee, absolutely,” Mr. Trump told reporters and supporters on Tuesday before calling for Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Gov. John Kasich to get out of the race.
And, while neither candidate has a chance at an outright win, Mr. Cruz and Mr. Kasich have both vowed to stay in the race.
It is now Mr. Trump’s nomination to lose, and the “Trump Train” is on a ride to 1,237 delegates.
Will you be riding with them?
• Madison Gesiotto is a staff editor for the Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law. The author’s views are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.