The Madison Brief:

Most political pundits agree that the GOP race is headed down one of two paths: Trump wins the nomination with the required number of delegates or the race heads to an open convention in Cleveland.

For Trump to receive the nomination outright, he has to win 56% of the remaining delegates. But after a series of campaign missteps and “out of the blue” policy statements requiring retractions, Trump’s presidential brand is taking a hit for which he may not recover. So, with Cruz needing 88% of the remaining delegates to get the nomination, and Kasich already mathematically out of the delegate hunt, the open convention scenario is more likely in play.

Since understanding convention politics is daunting for even the most diehard politico, these facts might help you get started: CONTINUE READING

Madison Brief:

A strange thing happened to the Republican establishment this week; they were Trumpted (or, TrumpTed): a phenomenon whereby the fear of a Trump Republican presidential nomination is so intense that rational mainstream Republican leaders abandon their core beliefs and choose to coalesce around a candidate they disdain, Senator Ted Cruz. continue reading

Madison Brief:  OPINION

John Kasich’s race for the presidency is now in the hands of his beloved Ohioans.

And the future of the Republican Party is now in the hands of John Kasich.

Kasich is a former nine-term Congressman and current two term Governor of Ohio, where six out of ten voters, or 62%, approve of his performance.  Real Politics recently found that, in an average of ten national polls,  Kasich would beat Clinton by  a 7.2% margin.

Still, Kasich is only  a few percentage points up on Donald Trump in today’s Primary. So what gives? continue reading