If Trump wins SC

[Progressive]

I can't help but see him as unstoppable if he wins SC.

[Mike Thick]

It isn't, like, over over. But it probably makes things incredibly difficult for Cruz on Super Tuesday, and if there's no clear establishment candidate coming out (which seems fairly likely) they won't be able to unify for a while. So, it makes things very difficult for anyone but Trump.

Margins matter, though. If Cruz outperforms polling and keeps it close, the media could paint him as the real winner. If an establishment candidate does well, ditto. However, there's no question that Trump would have momentum, and that's not good for the rest of the field.

[Phony Moderate]

It would be like McCain's victory in Florida in 2008 or Romney's wins on Super Tuesday 2012. Only a (very) outside chance for another candidate to win the nod.

[Asian Nazi]

He would be at his best position since he was leading in the IA polls and it looked like he was going to get a national sweep.

[ElectionsGuy]

If he wins SC and NV, then goes on to win a majority of states on 3/1, then its over.

[Darthpi – Anti-Florida Activist]

It depends on how large the margin is. If it is as large as the polls show it now, and if the establishment-lane logjam continues, then probably.  If it is a very narrow win and establishment support finally consolidates behind one candidate, then maybe not.

Given that the first scenario seems more likely than the second, I voted yes.

[Fuzzy Bear]

I voted "No" in that it's not over if Trump wins South Carolina.

Trump is not considered an acceptable candidate for the GOP Establishment.  How they feel about him vs. Cruz is up in the air somewhat, but his nomination is viewed by the Establishment as a bad thing for the Establishment, and for other GOP candidates in less-red states.  If he wins South Carolina, the Establishment will then have to come to grips with the fact that they will have to coalesce around one candidate, or deal with a Cruz or a Trump at the top of the ticket, because Cruz is going to finish second. 

I'd love to be a fly on the wall of Reince Priebus's office after the South Carolina results come in.  You can bet that he'll be on the phone to anyone and everyone who can pressure the 4th and 5th place finishers to drop out.  Because that's what's going to happen.  No dinosaurs made it through to the age of Man and no Trump Deniers will make it though South Carolina.

[Asian Nazi]

People really need to stop talking about the establishment like they're the Illuminati or something.  It's really dumb.

[Skye]

I wouldn't say it's over, but he'll be real close to it.

[Ljube]

I voted "No" in that it's not over if Trump wins South Carolina.

Trump is not considered an acceptable candidate for the GOP Establishment.  How they feel about him vs. Cruz is up in the air somewhat, but his nomination is viewed by the Establishment as a bad thing for the Establishment, and for other GOP candidates in less-red states.  If he wins South Carolina, the Establishment will then have to come to grips with the fact that they will have to coalesce around one candidate, or deal with a Cruz or a Trump at the top of the ticket, because Cruz is going to finish second. 

I'd love to be a fly on the wall of Reince Priebus's office after the South Carolina results come in.  You can bet that he'll be on the phone to anyone and everyone who can pressure the 4th and 5th place finishers to drop out.  Because that's what's going to happen.  No dinosaurs made it through to the age of Man and no Trump Deniers will make it though South Carolina.

Reince is a good friend of TRUMP's. TRUMP thanked him in his NH victory speech.

The Establishment absolutely hates Cruz and will pick TRUMP before Cruz any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

[Figueira]

It really depends on how the establishment candidates do. If one of them does well enough to cause the others to drop out, then we might have a race on our hands, although I still think Trump is heavily favored.

[President Johnson]

I wouldn't say it's over, but he'll be real close to it.

Agreed.

[Lief 🗽]

If TRUMP can't be stopped in South Carolina then I really don't know how the Republican Party expects to stop him. After South Carolina, this becomes a national race. You have something like half the delegates up for grabs in the first two weeks of March. There's no more time for ground game and town hall meetings and hitting TRUMP with targeted attack ads.

[Vosem]

Depends. If the result looks like the Opinion Savvy poll, with Trump leading Cruz by 16, then there's only a very, very outside chance left. If Trump ekes out a win by just a few percentage points, then this is still a thing. It also depends, a great deal, on the exact order and positioning of the establishment candidates.