The past several weeks in the world of politics have been very exciting.The primary elections are in full swing, and it is becoming clearer who will receive the nomination for their respective party. Both parties have had very compelling and close races so far. I believe, however, that it is much closer on the Republican side. March 15 is closing in, and it will soon be Ohio’s turn to decide who they want the presidential nominee to be.

This primary election will be different than in years past. Ohio will have a winner-take-all style primary in which the winner of the popular vote will take all of the 66 delegates. This will replace the proportional system that Ohio has used in years past.

At this point, there is businessman Donald Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. The two frontrunners have been Trump and Cruz in the majority of the states. In Ohio, another story is unfolding. A recent poll by Patch.com has shown Trump holds a 3 percent lead over Kasich in the Ohio polls. 

When it comes down to the day of the primary, though, I believe Kasich will take Ohio. The governor won his reelection bid in all but two counties in Ohio. He has a very high favorability rating in his home state, and I believe that will reflect in the primary voting. Trump will finish in a close second place followed by Cruz, then Rubio. I believe Kasich will use this momentum going forward to continue his campaign.

In the near future, we will see Rubio’s presidential bid end, as he has fallen on hard times and struggled to gain any ground on the frontrunners, while Kasich has gained serious momentum heading into Ohio. If Rubio does not win his home state of Florida (where polling shows Trump comfortably ahead in the polls), that will signal the end of his bid. Both Trump and Cruz have strong support in the remaining states, potentially turning this into a two-person race.

This election continues to be exciting and I believe it will be for the remainder of the primaries. March 15 could prove to be a turning point in the election for the underdog candidates, or it could reaffirm the frontrunners’ position in the race. Only time will tell.

The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Kent State College Republicans as an organization.