There's no question Donald Trump is on a big roll — but it's premature to say he's a shoo-in for the Republican presidential nomination, veteran journalist Lou Cannon writes in column for
RealClearPolitics.com.
"It's really silly to anoint Trump, who has yet to be tested in a big-state primary against a smaller field, as the Republican nominee on the basis of a loss in Iowa and victories in New Hampshire and South Carolina," says Cannon, who worked for The Washington Post for 25 years.
Cannon points out that:
- With Tuesday night's win in the Nevada caucuses, Trump has only 79 of the 1,237 delegates needed.
- Trump had the lowest percentage of any South Carolina primary winner in the last 10 contests.
- It's hard to see Jeb Bush supporters jump on the Trump bandwagon, even though the billionaire developer says they will.
- Some 28 percent of Republicans vow to never vote for him; and Gallup polls reveal he has the most unfavorable ratings of presidential candidate in modern history.
Cannon, who covered Ronald Reagan's challenge of President Gerald Ford in 1976, recalls how Reagan lost the first six primaries.
"The situation was so bleak in the Reagan camp that some aides were privately exploring jobs in Ford's fall campaign. But Reagan did not quit on Reagan," he said.
"There's no Reagan in this campaign, although [Ohio Gov. John] Kasich is similarly level-headed, but there's no presidential incumbent either."
Cannon is the author of
"President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime," published by PublicAffairs.
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