As a Trump supporter, why should I switch to someone who received far less delegates and votes and states won? You assume that Trump supporters will not see this as being manifestly unfair and disenfrancisement. If the opposite were the case and Cruz had the most delegates and votes, do you believe the majority of the Cruz delegates will switch to Trump?
More importantly than the delegates, what will the Trump voters do in November if they believe that the nomination was stolen from Trump, the clear front-runner? What do you think Trump will do if this happens? Do you think he will support Cruz or whatever "fresh face" the GOPe digs up?
>>As a Trump supporter, why should I switch to someone who received far less delegates and votes and states won?<<
Well, the obvious answer is that he would have been nominated at the GOP convention by a majority of the delegates. The more pertinent question is “Will you support Cruz if nominated?”
Yes, I assume that the vast majority of Trump voters (not rabid supporters now, but voters) will easily switch to Cruz.
As for Cruz voters switching to Trump in a similar situation, sure, many of them would. Many people in here have already said that they like Cruz, but have switched to Trump. That said, a large portion of Cruz “voters” will never vote for Trump for the simple reason that they can’t stomach Trump’s crude behavior. That is manifestly clear from the favorable/unfavorable polling, especially with women.
You assume that the average voter will view the nomination as stolen from Trump. The average voter won’t even be watching what is likely to be an electrifying event this year, the convention itself. They really won’t give a hoot about how the nomination was achieved. Most of them, after all, never bothered to even vote in the primaries. You’re projecting your potential anger onto the average voter. In fact, once it’s Cruz vs. Hillary, the clear difference in the choice will have most conservatives as well as people fed up with DC lining up to support Cruz.
As for what Trump himself does if he loses the nomination, I’m absolutely certain of one thing. It will make for good television. Beyond that, I doubt much will come of it. He’s obviously unprepared to lead the country, and by now I suspect that even he has realized that fact. He might also be realizing that failing to withdraw with grace after a good fight might damage his name, and a good part of his business empire is tied to that name and the respect associated with it.