PHOTO: With big primary wins on Tuesday, Donald Trump looks to a November contest with Hillary Clinton (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
Adam Quinn of the University of Birmingham offers his snap analysis of last night’s sweeping wins for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in Presidential primaries in five US states, including Pennsylvania:
The outcome was pretty simple.
On the Democratic side, more very comfortable wins for Hillary Clinton, including in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Maryland. You knew where this was going long ago if you were paying attention to the numbers, but this nomination contest is done, done, and done.
Take it to the bank, cash it, spend the money: Clinton wins over Bernie Sanders, with higher numbers of elected delegates, super-delegates, states won, and vote share. Sanders’ campaign will soon admit this.
Donald Trump smashed it again, cleaning up almost every delegate to be had, and soaring above his previously-imagined vote ceiling with more than 50% share in each of the five states.
To lock in 1237 delegates and a majority on the first ballot at the Republican convention, Trump still has to do well in some less favorable places, notably Indiana next week. But it’s looking increasingly like it would be not just a stretch but impossible to deny him the nomination even if he does not get there.
At this point, it looks like anti-Trump voters may be staying home. They don’t particularly adore Senator Ted Cruz or Governor John Kasich. They think the cure of a convention contest to deny Trump would be worse than the disease of letting him run.
The sentiment is “Trump sucks, but there’s no avoiding it now so let’s just get this over with”.
Hillary Clinton is nailed on as the Democratic nominee. Trump is back to being likely to wrap up the Republican nomination before the convention.
A Clinton-Trump general election is by far the most likely outcome. Buy your popcorn here.