By Matthew Pryce, PoliticKING
It’s too early for exact counts, but AP and The New York Times have already projected Donald Trump the winner in Michigan and Mississippi.
And, to the victor, goes the long, off-the-cuff victory speech. Projected the winner by a comfortable margin, Donald Trump swaggered to the stage and addressed a crowd in his typical fashion - building up his political brand and dressing down his opponents. Name calling, celebrity name dropping, golf tips, media criticism, and a very unique Q&A session were all part of the very, very, long celebratory speech.
The rest of field remains in a strange standoff where they’re each nipping votes from each other without gaining ground on the frontrunner. Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich took home second place in Michigan with the hopes of picking up some steam heading to the all-important primary in his home state looming.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz was awarded the silver medal, coming in second place in Mississippi, but the real loser was Marco Rubio who was a distant fourth place in both races. With his poor performance, Rubio faces an all-eggs-in-basket scenario in Florida.
Like the Ohio primary, Florida’s vote takes place on March 15th, and some in the Rubio camp are already calling for his campaign’s suspension. Even with a sweep in his home state of Florida, the delegate count is stacked against him.
In terms of the Republican race, the conversation remains relatively unchained. Trump has run in front with strong support, while the other contenders bite and scratch to be runners-up. With the exception of John Kasich’s improbable rise, it’s largely been the same story.
So, it’s on to two candidate’s respective home turfs. This could very likely be the last ditch effort for Kasich and Rubio. A Trump victory in these upcoming primaries, and the delegate math starts to get very difficult for the rest of the field.
Hear what ex-Pentagon chief William Cohen has to say about Donald Trump's foreign policies in this episode of PoliticKING:
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