• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

1

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

2

Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place

3

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Commentary

Ted Cruz, Your Days Are Numbered

By
Donald Brand
Donald Brand
and
Bethany Cianciolo
Bethany Cianciolo
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Donald Brand
Donald Brand
and
Bethany Cianciolo
Bethany Cianciolo
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 22, 2016, 11:39 AM ET
Presidential Candidates Speak At The AIPAC Policy Conference
Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas and 2016 presidential candidate, pauses while speaking during the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, March 21, 2016. The presidential race will take a detour from domestic sniping today as Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and Trump's two Republican opponents converge on Washington to address the key pro-Israel group. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPhotograph by Andrew Harrer — Bloomberg via Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Is Ted Cruz fooling himself? Donald Trump has more than half the delegates he needs to secure the nomination (680 out of 1,237), and the electoral terrain is shifting to states like New York and New Jersey, where Trump is expected to outperform him. Cruz’s strategic plan for securing the nomination, relying heavily on an evangelical vote that split, hasn’t worked.

This outcome had been presaged in South Carolina Feb. 20, where evangelicals chose Trump, even though exit polls indicated few believed he shared their values. Trump tells it like it is, and that was apparently more important. A recent New York poll shows Trump at 64 and Cruz at 12, a 52-point gap. Is it time for Cruz to bow to the inevitable?

A Trump first-ballot victory is by no means a sure thing, which explains why Trump has already called the rule requiring a majority of the Republican delegates to secure the nomination “unfair.” The chances that Cruz will overtake Trump, much less secure a first-ballot majority, are admittedly remote. Nevertheless, he is the candidate best positioned to block Trump.

On Tuesday, the Arizona and Utah primaries will provide important clues regarding the prospects of the movement to stop Trump. Trump is heavily favored to win Arizona’s 58 winner-take-all delegates, but Cruz is poised to win in Utah. Mitt Romney is supporting Cruz in this state, which has many Mormon voters following Romney’s avowed strategy of supporting the candidate best-positioned to stop Trump in any particular state (supporting Kasich in Ohio but Cruz in Utah). To truly dampen Trump’s momentum, Cruz has to win more than 50% of the vote in Utah, a result that would award all of Utah’s 40 delegates to Cruz.

 

Currently, Cruz has 424 pledged delegates, trailing Trump by more than 250. Indicative of the fact that Trump hasn’t closed the deal, however, is the combined tally of Cruz, Kasich, and Rubio: Collectively, they have 733 delegates to Trump’s 680 (Rubio is keeping his delegates despite suspending his campaign). Many traditional Republicans have not rallied to the Trump cause despite his electoral successes, and Cruz can marshal these voters in the remaining primaries.

Even though the states that have not yet voted have fewer evangelical voters, 16 of the 22 remaining primaries and caucuses are closed, only permitting registered Republicans to vote on the Republican ballot. Thus far, Trump has done better in states with open primaries that allow independents (and in some cases, Democrats) to cross over and vote in the Republican primary. Trump has won only five of the 11 closed primaries and caucuses that have been held. Moreover, delegate-rich primaries—like those in California and New York—allocate delegates by Congressional district rather than winner-take-all at the state level.

Cruz should be able to win delegates in the more conservative parts of upstate New York, despite the large lead Trump holds in statewide polls. In the coming winner-take-all states, Trump will undoubtedly prevail in New Jersey with its 51 delegates, but Cruz is favored in Montana and South Dakota with a total of 56 delegates. Finally, Pennsylvania and Colorado send large numbers of uncommitted delegates to the Cleveland convention, delegates who may be persuaded to vote against Trump if they are convinced that a Trump candidacy would lead to an electoral route in the general election.

After Tuesday, the battleground will shift to Wisconsin on April 5, where Trump will have another opportunity to demonstrate his Rust Belt appeal.

Donald Brand is a professor of political science at the College of the Holy Cross.

About the Authors
By Donald Brand
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Bethany Cianciolo
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Commentary

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Commentary

t
CommentaryMedia
Netflix could turn NBC into its biggest bet yet — and this time, the math actually works
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven TianJune 30, 2026
14 hours ago
wb
CommentaryLeadership
I grew BDO from $600 million to $3.4 billion. Here’s the 3-part formula that made it possible
By Wayne BersonJune 30, 2026
17 hours ago
vinod
CommentaryData centers
Vinod Khosla: AI’s energy crisis has a fix — and it doesn’t need the grid
By Vinod KhoslaJune 30, 2026
17 hours ago
marc
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here’s why that changes everything for the next 250 years
By Marc AndersenJune 30, 2026
18 hours ago
mcmaster
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
Boston Dynamics CEO: America’s next 250 years will be built by robots. Here’s what’s standing in the way
By Amanda McMasterJune 30, 2026
19 hours ago
ac
Commentaryclimate change
Top climate tech exec: Europe is sweating through a heat crisis America solved decades ago
By Taco EngelaarJune 30, 2026
23 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
6 days ago
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Success
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
By Sydney LakeJune 29, 2026
2 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
4 days ago
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
AI
'Humanity has chosen to become idiots': This Brown professor switched to take-home exams after a mass shooting and discovered mass cheating
By Catherina GioinoJune 29, 2026
1 day ago
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
Environment
The retired college professor fighting a $313 trespassing ticket in Wisconsin thinks he's part of a national struggle
By Catherina GioinoJune 28, 2026
3 days ago
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
Commentary
The U.S. Army is opening military bases to private billions — here's why that changes everything for the next 250 years
By Marc AndersenJune 30, 2026
18 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.