Has Trump not run, who would have won the Republican nomination?

[136or142]

Based on this tweet:
Politics1.com Retweeted

Pat Ward
✔
@WardDPatrick
In interview with NJ Advance, @ChrisChristie reflects on what could have been: “I absolutely believe if Trump had not gotten into the race I think we would have won.”

Of course, Christie is delusional.  A point can be made that Christie's style and Trump's style were similar which can lead to Christie comforting himself with these thoughts, but clearly this is a bridge too far.

The other main candidates still strike me as implausible, but one of the would have had to have won:
1.Ted Cruz.  Who would vote for The Zodiac Killer?  (It's a 'joke' but I think it reflects him.)
2.Marco Rubio.  An obvious empty suit.
2.John Kasich.  Too liberal.

Anybody else?  Ben Carson?  Jeb Bush?

[136or142]

Hard to say, since other candidates were so overshadowed by Trump in the early pre-primary stages. Bush probably doesn't flounder as badly. Maybe Jindal is a serious contender, or Santorum/Carson eat into Cruz's evangelical support.

There's really no way to know.

Thanks for playing.