Many Republicans likely went to bed last night with Donald Trump dominating in Arizona, on his way to 58 electoral votes there. But on the night, Trump once again failed to get 50 percent of the vote. In fact, based on the 99 percent of precincts that have reported (as of 3:30 PM EST) in Arizona and the 89 percent that have reported in Utah, Trump failed to get even 40 percent of the combined vote in those two states.
On the night, Trump got 39 percent of the vote, Ted Cruz got 36 percent of the vote, and John Kasich got 12 percent of the vote. Without Kasich in the race, Cruz’s vote tally for the night likely would have surpassed Trump’s. Indeed, a large part of what will likely decide Trump’s and Cruz’s fate in the crucial Wisconsin primary a fortnight from now is whether Wisconsinites realize that a vote for Kasich is a vote for Trump—a point that Mitt Romney effectively made in Utah.
Thirty-one states have now voted, and Trump has yet to get majority support in any of them. (Cruz, on the other hand, has gotten majority support in two states—Utah and Wyoming.) Yes, Trump is winning so far (with 37 percent of the nationwide vote to date), but this is hardly the picture of a candidate who is running away with the GOP nomination.
Jeffrey H. Anderson, author of “The Main Street Tax Plan,” is a Hudson Institute senior fellow.
