During the 2016 Republican primaries, the five stages of grief don't necessarily run in their normal order. Anger has been evident all year long. So has depression.
Now the party seems split between denial and acceptance when it comes to coping with front-runner Donald Trump.
The most prominent sign of denial: the day after his sixth straight loss to Trump in a popular election, Ted Cruz named Carly Fiorina as his running mate.
To be clear: Trump could still lose the Republican presidential nomination. There is no guarantee he will win the 1,237 delegates he needs to prevail on the first ballot and he risks significant defections to Cruz and others on subsequent votes.
But Cruz is announcing his would-be vice president when he is 657 delegates short of a majority himself. The Texas senator is 425 delegates behind Trump, who needs only 250 more to win on the first ballot.
Get the Exclusive
12.23.2024