Letter: Trump win good for Dems

The April 19 New York primaries answered many questions about the 2016 presidential election, but also brought potential problems for the Republican and Democratic parties into sharp relief.

Donald Trump’s overwhelming victory over John Kasich and Ted Cruz was a stunning defeat for the Republican establishment. While a Trump victory in his home state was predicted, his obtaining more than 60 percent of the vote and at least 89 of the 95 possible delegates, puts him closer to the 1,237 required for the nomination.

According to the “Election Betting Odds by Maxim Lott and John Stossel,” Trump now has a 90-plus percent chance of winning each of the upcoming primaries, and a 50 percent chance of gaining the 1,237 delegates needed for the nomination, without a brokered convention.

This is bad news for Republicans because in a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 68 percent of registered voters said that they won’t support Trump — although Cruz (61 percent) and Hillary Clinton (58 percent) were not far behind in voter antipathy toward them.

A Trump candidacy would probably ensure a Democrat winning the presidency, and would also greatly increase the chances of Democrats regaining the Senate.

Hillary Clinton’s solid victory all but assures her the Democratic nomination. She is also favored to win the upcoming primaries.

The big question remaining for Democrats is whether Bernie Sanders will stop his personal attacks on Hillary and actively campaign to encourage his many supporters to vote for her.

This story was originally published April 21, 2016 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Letter: Trump win good for Dems."