Do you hear that? The fat lady has sung. With New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) endorsement of Donald Trump the 2016 Republican Primary is officially over. Any Republican holding out chances of a Cruz or Rubio comeback are living out a fantasy and practicing an exercise in futility.
Christie endorsed Trump on Friday, delivering a huge blow to the consensus that the establishment forces can unify an anti-Trump ticket and defeat the populist billionaire.
The New Jersey Governor took no time to slam Rubio, Cruz, and Kasich, informing them all that the election was over and it was time to come together as a party.
“The single most important thing for the Republican Party is to nominate the person who gives us the best chance to defeat Hillary Clinton,” Christie said at the Trump endorsement. “I can guarantee you that the one person Hillary and Bill Clinton do not want to see on that stage come next September is Donald Trump. They know how to run the standard political playbook against junior senators and run them around the block. They do not know the playbook with Donald Trump, because he is rewriting the playbook.”
Christie wasn’t the only establishment force who saw the writing on the wall, Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) endorsed Trump after backing Jeb! Bush’s failed campaign.
Trump now has a significant lead in most major upcoming primaries. According to Real Clear Politics, he leads in Massachusetts by 28 percent, Michigan by 20 percent, Florida by20 percent, Georgia by16 percent, Virginia by 15 percent, North Carolina by 10 percent, and Ohio by 5 percent.
Keep in mind that Trump out performed polling averages in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. Adding insult to injury is the fact that all three states had record breaking turnout, the higher the turnout from previous election cycles means the bigger the Trump victory.
Even in the case of the magical three way race with just Cruz, Trump, and Rubio would ensure a Trump victory. A Public Policy Polling report found that the billionaire handily defeats the Senators in a three-way race in Florida 51 to 33 and 11 percent, respectively.
A two-way race fairs no better for the establishment. Trump defeats both senators in a one-on-one.
Reuters estimated that Trump has a 90 percent chance of winning the Republican nomination.
Cruz and Rubio are not entirely to blame for their loss — they’re not bad candidates. They have good talking points, and come from important states. Nonetheless their message no longer resonates with Republican voters.
The Richard Nixon parody Twitter account said it best, “the party that Rubio and Cruz are running on no longer exists.”
