As the Republican presidential race comes to an end, Donald Trump’s overwhelming dominance of the contest leaves the current slate of candidates unable to shake up the status quo.
Despite a flurry of strong rhetoric and promises by Trump to back away from his numerous controversial statements, the billionaire remains the presumptive nominee heading into the autumn. His polling numbers have seen a tick up in recent weeks, his numbers bolstered by an increasing show of support from establishment Republicans and boding ill for his competitors in the final stretch of the race.
Given Trump’s current standing, it appears that any last-ditch efforts by his fellow Republicans to upend his candidacy will likely fail. Senator Ted Cruz, for example, who has long held out for a “fair and level playing field” in the nomination race, recently announced that he will drop out of the running and won’t be making a third-party bid.
This leaves the Republican field mostly stuck and unable to make headway at a standing ovation. Ohio Governor John Kasich, who has come in second against Trump, appears to be focused more on cementing his own future ambitions rather than winning the nomination. Meanwhile, the rest of the pack—former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina—pursued a strategy of winning over Trump supporters. Despite the various tactics, their campaigns never seemed to gain traction.
As the race now stands, the only possibility of replacing Trump as the Republican nominee would likely result from a delegate revolt. Already rumors are swirling that such an effort is underway, with word that some of Trump’s key supporters on the delegate level may be looking to bolt if the right alternative appears.
The outcome of the delegate revolt, however, still remains uncertain and it appears that, while the race may continue to shake up the Republican field, Donald Trump’s dominance and the stuck nature of the Republican race will be with us through the fall and beyond.