Replies

Then Cruz should be leading by thirty points in South Carolina by your logic. How come he’s down double digits in one of the most conservative states in the country, with a good many churchgoers, to a northeastern liberal?

It's not hard to understand, really. Most voters are anti-Trump. The majority of the vote is not for Trump. He leads because there are too many other candidates. And Trump is not their second choice let alone their first choice. If people cannot vote for Carson, Bush, or Kasich, they are not going to shift to Trump. They will either go to Rubio or Cruz. Cruz voters, after the way Trump has acted, would rather vote for Rubio than Trump. And the same is true, I believe, of Rubio supporters despite the friction they've had. That is, they'd rather hold their nose and vote for Cruz than for Trump if the only options are Trump and Cruz.

Trump's over-the-top contempt for all the other candidates, calling them "hacks," questioning Carson's faith and mental health, questioning Cruz's religion and citizenship, and incredible New York obnoxiousness make him the last candidate that the other candidates supporters will go to. Sadly, Trump has been so vile that it is possible that some would rather see the open liberals win instead of Trump, the covert liberal.