MAGELLAN POLL IN LOUISIANA: Trump 41, Cruz 21, Rubio 15

“Remember when Donald Trump was famously paraded in front of the cameras to sign this pledge that he would support the Republican nominee, that he wouldn’t run a third party campaign?”

Tuesday’s results did little to clarify which of two senators, Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio, might emerge as Trump’s main Republican rival. “One of these men should be our nominee”.

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney, Ryan’s 2012 GOP presidential running mate, slammed Donald Trump today, speaking as Ryan gave his weekly news conference.

“His is not the temperament of a stable, thoughtful leader”, Romney declared.

Kaufman said third-party talk may be swirling around Romney, but he laughed it off. “It’s not happening”, he said. However, Romney has made a decision to condemn Trump in a speech at the University of Utah.

Trump’s “domestic policies would lead to recession”. After his wins on Tuesday, Trump said he was sure he’d get along great with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., but “if I don’t?” The possibility of Trump as Republican nominee _ and perhaps president _ is suddenly very real for the GOP in Congress. After months of denial that the billionaire businessman could swipe the nomination from more establishment candidates, senators faced reality on Wednesday.

“Republicans are reaping the whirlwind right now, and Democrats should seize the chance to show Americans an alternative to Mr Trump’s politics of rage, and an image of themselves to be proud of, not shrink from”, the liberal New York Times observed.

Democratic Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (Vt.) carried his home state, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Minnesota. He contended that Trump “has neither the temperament nor the judgment to be president”. Ted Cruz the ultra-conservative Texan who has won four Republican contests this year but who remains deeply unpopular with his Senate colleagues. Fox will concentrate its questions on Trump, Cruz and Marco Rubio – making for potentially awkward moments for Kasich.

Look for some confidence from Cruz, because on Super Tuesday alone he came close to Trump. Although the nominee is not officially selected until the delegates meet and vote at the Republican National Convention. So far, he has won 46 percent of the delegates awarded, and he would have to increase that to 52 percent in the remaining primaries. Senator Ted Cruz took his home state of Texas, neighbouring Oklahoma and Alaska.

The delegate math illustrates the importance of the March 15 primaries in Florida and OH in which the statewide victor gets all the delegates.

Trump walks over and perches at the end, takes up the remote and begins toggling from one all-news station to another. On Wednesday, Dr Ben Carson put out a statement saying, “I do not see a political path forward”, adding he will not attend Thursday’s debate. “And his personal qualities would mean that America would cease to be a shining city on a hill”.

Not many would believe that Trump would be “in it to win it” this far in the game. Of the 59 respondents, slightly fewer than half could not commit to backing him in November.

Rubio claimed that Trump had never voted in a GOP primary and supported Planned Parenthood, and he criticized Trump’s businesses that have hired foreign or immigrant workers. But Miller said Perry found the idea “ludicrous”.