Trump ‘not viable’, says professor

Brenden Williams

With Donald Trump leading in the polls, many have asked whether he has a chance at earning the Republican nomination of a presidential election still over a year away?

“He’s got a chance,” said Mark Peterson, chair of the Political Science department at Washburn University. “It’s extremely remote. The GOP’s nomination process and convention process is more oriented toward people who are in the party, while Democrats are more egalitarian.”

“Mr. Trump has enormous negatives,” Peterson said. “I’d be hard pressed to believe there are less than 1500 women in the United States who want to vote for Donald Trump.”

Peterson said he couldn’t imagine any latino individuals, African Americans or woman voters.

“I don’t think Mr. Trump’s prospects, even though he is really hot stuff right now, are very good, “Peterson said. “He could try a third party candidacy [and] be a successful version of Ross Perot for example.”

Peterson, however, said that while Trump has the personal resources and the ego to sustain a third party campaign, he hasn’t talked about it.

“I’m still of the opinion that at some point Mr. Trump is going to decide he’s got all the commercial value he’s going to get, having his name all over, as he’s going to get,” Peterson said.

Jeb Bush, the other frontrunner of the Republican Party, has been making waves the past few months in terms of a growing support base.

“I think the Republican Party is gonna have Bush as a last name,” Peterson said. “I think the slow dripping of water on stone and the weathering away of crusty edges leads to the recognition that the Bush family has the best access to money, best organization, best messages, most reasonable…”

Peterson said he believes Jeb Bush will end up being the Republican nominee because he is the most stable, most reasonable, and most resourceful candidate.

Peterson also said John Kasich and Chris Christie as having a chance at the nomination, although a small one.