Commentary by Michael Barone

New York Exceptionalism and Donald Trump By Michael Barone

Noo Yawk. That's the state with this week's presidential primary, in which candidates who have spent time in New York recently are currently running ahead, according to polls.

Donald Trump's Insincere Process Arguments By Michael Barone

"Gestapo tactics." That's how Donald Trump's recently installed campaign manager, Paul Manafort, characterized the Ted Cruz campaign's successful effort to win all 34 of Colorado's pledged national convention delegates at the long-scheduled Republican congressional district and state conventions.

The Tragic Deterioration of Washington's Great Society Subway by Michael Barone

If you live any distance beyond the Capital Beltway you probably didn't notice, but an important part of government in Washington shut down on Wednesday, March 16. That's when the Metro subway system's recently installed general manager, Paul Wiedefeld, ordered a one-day shutdown of the entire 117-mile system for emergency inspection of track-based power cables.

Wisconsin Republicans Bid No Trump by Michael Barone

"Donald J. Trump withstood the onslaught of the establishment yet again." That's the first sentence in a Trump campaign statement tweeted out Tuesday night by the Washington Post's Robert Costa. It's also a strange way to respond to a solid defeat, reminiscent of the Monty Python knight who insists he is winning after both his arms are hacked off.

Are Trump Voters Really Victims? By Michael Barone

What you hear when you listen to many fervent supporters of Donald Trump is that they are victims -- victims of globalization and trade agreements that have sent their jobs to Mexico or China. Victims of competition from illegal immigrants from Mexico willing to work for starvation wages. Victims of a Republican establishment that promised to get rid of lots of things they don't like and then failed to deliver.   

Will Britain Leave or Remain in the European Union? By Michael Barone

On June 23, when Donald Trump will or will not have won the 1,237 delegates he needs to be nominated, voters in Britain will decide an issue as divisive as Trump's candidacy: whether the United Kingdom will remain in or leave the European Union. 

Does Social Connectedness Explain Trump's Appeal? By Michael Barone

How can one make sense of the electoral divisions in this year's Republican primaries and caucuses? The contours of Donald Trump's support and opposition don't fall on traditional lines.

A Vote for Kasich Is a Vote for Trump By Michael Barone

Perhaps the most important results of the March 22 Republican primary in Arizona and caucus in Utah were numbers that didn't appear on your television screen, no matter how late you stayed up for the poll closing times. Those were the numbers of votes cast for Marco Rubio in Arizona -- 70,587 of them at this writing.

Donald Trump Has 37 percent. Hard to Get to 270 Electoral Votes By Michael Barone

Many Donald Trump supporters think he is a slam dunk to beat Hillary Clinton in the general election. The candidate himself certainly takes this view.

Only Ted Cruz Can Stop Donald Trump By Michael Barone

Can Donald Trump be stopped from winning the Republican nomination? The answer is yes. Despite his big win over Marco Rubio in Florida and his narrow wins over Ted Cruz in Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina, he has not won a majority of delegates yet awarded -- 661 at this writing, with several more to be added when Missouri and Illinois congressional district totals are tabulated.

Will the Politics of Nostalgia Trump the Politics of the Future? by Michael Barone

The likely presidential nominee of the Republican Party and the certain (barring indictments) nominee of the Democratic Party have something in common, something more than residences in New York: campaign appeals based on nostalgia.

Democrats Dispirited, Republicans Hobbled by Excess of Spirit by Michael Barone

Bad news for both parties in the primaries and caucuses in the seven days in March following Super Tuesday.

Will a Republican Majority Rally to Defeat Trump? By Michael Barone

The Republican race for president last week converged, suddenly and briefly, in Detroit. In the Fox Theatre, one of the nation's great 1920s movie palaces, the four remaining presidential candidates fought it out in the Fox News debate.    

Can Donald Trump Be Stopped? Maybe By Michael Barone

The Republican race goes on after Super Tuesday. In ordinary years, Donald Trump's wins in seven of the 11 Super Tuesday contests after three out of four wins in February, together with his delegate lead, would make him the nominee. Politicians would hurry to back the apparent winner.

Arizona, Not Trump, Shows Republicans the Way on Immigration By Michael Barone

In last Thursday's slam-bang Republican debate everyone saw Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz do a fine job of demonstrating Donald Trump's ignorance and inconsistencies. But many may not have noticed Cruz's citation of a Feb. 9 Wall Street Journal article that casts light on the immigration issue -- and suggests strongly that Cruz's and Rubio's serious immigration policies could prove more effective than Trump's bombast about building a wall and getting Mexico to pay for it.    

Trump's Rivals Must Make the Case for Themselves By Michael Barone

Does Donald Trump's big win in the Nevada caucuses mean he's the inevitable Republican nominee? He has made himself the favorite and could sew up the nomination with the first winner-take-all primaries March 15. But it's not inevitable that he will become the nominee. The question is how others can prevent it.

Trump won 46 percent in Nevada; Marco Rubio won 24 percent, and Ted Cruz won 21 percent. That's in line with polling, which showed Nevada to be one of the best Trump states.

February Clarifies Both Parties' Nomination Races By Michael Barone

In 2008, Barack Obama's great victories in February primaries -- Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Virginia and Wisconsin -- gave him an unstoppable delegate lead for the Democratic nomination. In 2012, Mitt Romney's wins in Florida (technically on Jan. 31) and Michigan sent him on his way to the Republican nomination.   

Who Will Win the Electability Vote? by Michael Barone

With the likelihood that the Supreme Court vacancy will not be filled this year, voters' minds are going to turn to questions of electability, writes my Washington Examiner colleague David Drucker.

Republicans Launch Sharp Attacks in South Carolina Debate By Michael Barone

The CBS presidential debate in Greenville, South Carolina, started off with a moment of silence in memory of Justice Antonin Scalia, whose death was announced earlier in the day. And the debate that followed was a sort of tribute to the late jurist.

New Hampshire's Rebuke By Michael Barone

New Hampshire voters issued a rebuke to conventional party leaders when they voted by large margins for Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders in Tuesday's primaries. But Sanders is not going to win the Democratic nomination, and it's by no means certain Trump will be the Republican nominee.