Donald Trump might be trouncing one-time Republican frontrunner, Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL) in the polls–but that might not be a bad thing.
Some inside Republicans feel that, with Trump’s bomb-throwing comments sucking up media from other candidates, they’ll have no choice but to rally behind someone safe: namely, the establishment’s favorite son, Jeb Bush.
“The longer it goes, the greater the panic is going to build,” explained Alex Castellanos, a longtime Republican strategist, about the heartburn that Trump might begin to give mainstream Republicans. “And that means you may not have the luxury to flirt with an undeveloped, budding candidate. Trump has set the Republican Party on fire, and if you’re going to put that fire out you don’t have time to waste. You’re going to have to grab the biggest blanket you got and throw it, and right now that’s Jeb.”
Many Republicans believe that, while Trump has built a commanding lead over the rest of the field, his campaign ultimately faces major headwinds that’ll eventually derail his chances.
This includes a high disapproval rating and a large number of Republican voters who say they will never support him, under any circumstances–but also the fact that Trump’s willingness to say and do anything may ultimately get the better of him.
In the meantime, Trump is attracting grassroots support as the non-establishment candidate–which means Americans are pledging support to him without looking at other credible candidates, like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
Whether or not Trump has a chance at continuing to hold his support, the fact remains that he still only has attracted (at most) 25% of the Republican vote. It remains to be seen whether or not the remaining 75% will rally behind some safe, like Bush, in order to stop him.
