Time is running out for Donald Trump's rivals to stop him
A close look at the election calendar suggests that if the New York billionaire's rivals don't slow him by mid-March, their only chance to deny him the Republican presidential nomination may be a nasty and public fight at the party's convention this summer.
Winning states generates headlines, but the nomination is earned by collecting a majority of the delegates awarded in primaries and caucuses.
Beeson and strategists for other campaigns argue that could make it hard for Trump to build a big lead because even the second- and third-place finisher can win delegates.
"Folks, let's go, let's have a big win in Nevada, let's have a big win in the SEC," Trump said in his South Carolina victory speech, referring to the states with universities in the Southeastern Conference that will vote next month.
In the modern political era, a candidate usually wins enough delegates to emerge as the presumptive nominee several weeks — or even months — before the end of primary voting.
Yet some of Trump's rivals are already talking about the possibility of a "contested" convention as they envision a series of second- or third-place finishes in the upcoming GOP primaries.
At the convention, a lead in the race for delegates guarantees nothing if the candidate doesn't have an outright majority, said Ben Ginsberg, a leading Republican election attorney.
Under most state party rules, delegates are only required to vote for their candidate on the first ballot at the convention.