Republican strategist Karl Rove says Donald Trump can clinch the Republican presidential nomination with a victory in Wisconsin’s primary Tuesday.
“If he wins Wisconsin, the contest is over,” Rove said Tuesday, according to Politico.
{mosads}“He’s spent a lot of time there,” he added. “If he wins, it’s over. If not, it’s gonna go on and the math becomes somewhat more difficult. If he loses, it’s gonna be a tougher contest.”
Tuesday’s vote in Wisconsin is an open primary, meaning that Democrats and independents can cast ballots for Republican candidates. Rove said the format favors Trump.
“Trump has done slightly better in states where there is an open primary, where Democrats and independents can come in and vote, and has done slightly worse in states that have a closed primary, where only registered Republicans can vote,” the GOP strategist said.
Rival Ted Cruz leads Trump by about five points in Wisconsin, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.
Trump leads the delegate race overall, though, with 737 delegates acquired so far, to Cruz’s 475 and John Kasich’s 143. Wisconsin’s primary has 42 delegates on the line. A candidate must reach 1,237 delegates to clinch the nomination before the Republican National Convention this summer.