If Donald Trump wins Wisconsin Tuesday, the race for the Republican presidential nomination is over, according to Karl Rove.
“I think Trump’s right: If he wins Wisconsin, the contest is over,” the veteran GOP strategist said on Fox News Tuesday morning. “If not, it’s gonna go on and the math becomes somewhat more difficult.”
Trump leads the GOP field in delegates — he has roughly 260 more delegates than Texas Sen. Ted Cruz — but he is still 500 delegates shy of the required number to clinch the presidential nomination.
Polls show Cruz ahead of Trump heading into Wisconsin’s primary by almost 5 points. But, according to Rove, the state’s open primary will benefit Trump.
“Trump has done slightly better in states where there is an open primary, where independents and Democrats can come in and vote, and has done slightly worse in states that have a closed primary, where only registered Republicans can vote,” the former George W. Bush administration aide explained.
Last week, Trump said at a rally that “if we win Wisconsin, it’s pretty much over.”
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who ended his own presidential campaign last year, has endorsed Cruz, who is ahead in most polls on the race.
