Michael Gerson: “Cruz’s nomination would represent the victory of the hard right — religious right and tea party factions — within the Republican coalition. After he loses, the ideological struggles within the GOP would go on.”

“No, the worst outcome for the party would be the nomination of Donald Trump. It is impossible to predict where the political contest between Trump and Hillary Clinton would end up. Clinton has manifestly poor political skills, and Trump possesses a serious talent for the low blow. But Trump’s nomination would not be the temporary victory of one of the GOP’s ideological factions. It would involve the replacement of the humane ideal at the center of the party and its history. If Trump were the nominee, the GOP would cease to be.”

Peggy Noonan: “I do not understand the inability or refusal of Republican leaders to take Mr. Trump seriously. They take his numbers seriously—they can read a poll—but they think, as Mr. Bush said, that his support is all about anger, angst and theatrics. That’s part of the story, but the other, more consequential part has to do with real policy issues. “

Amy Walter says “no one really knows for sure if the Trump campaign organization is actually actively registering or targeting these supportive potential voters. In other words, there’s plenty of evidence that those who are most likely to support Trump are either unable or unwilling to get to a polling booth or caucus site.”

“However, as seen in this chart, in many of the early states a voter doesn’t need to be registered as a Republican to vote in that state’s primary or participate in the caucus. In the case of Iowa, one can register with the party at the time of the vote.”