Morning Jay: The Calendar Hurts Romney

It is true that Mitt Romney is a weak frontrunner who simply cannot close the deal against two opponents who have both little money and organizational support. (After all, even Bob Dole and John McCain had it in the bag by mid-March.) But one explanation has to do with the primary calendar this cycle.

The Republican party changed its calendar pretty dramatically between 2008 and 2012 – whereas last cycle the primary process was heavily front-loaded, this year it is stretched out much longer. To appreciate that, consider this graph, which tracks the cumulative allocation of delegates week-by-week in the 1996, 2008, and 2012 Republican primary battles.