This time of year is like Christmas for sports fans and political junkies alike. It’s March, and that means the Madness is just beginning.
The 2016 presidential election hasn’t exactly turned out how pundits had predicted, much like our friends in the NCAA, the ones who are expected to win sometimes don’t come out on top.
At the beginning of this whole cycle, we began with a huge field of candidates on both sides and as the “rounds” went on, that field shrank but not how pundits and experts thought it would.
Maybe the election for president should just be a bracket that takes 4 years to complete
— actionboss (@ActionB0SS) March 16, 2016
In a theoretical bracket for politics, the democratic side only had one real upset and that was Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders making it as far as he has.
However, on the republican side, the Cinderella story is only just getting started. Donald Trump seemed to be the least likely of any of the candidates, usurping then favorite Jeb Bush and quickly eliminating anyone else in his path.
So far, my Primary Election bracket is looking solid.
— Mike Opelka (@stuntbrain) March 16, 2016
From 17 candidates in the summer of 2015 down to three almost a year later, the candidates still standing seem to be the most unlikely.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and businessman Trump are still hitting the campaign trail hard; doing everything they can to grasp their party’s nomination this summer.
For those who remember, this year’s election cycle is sort of like the years when Butler University came out of nowhere and made it to back-to-back national championship games in the NCAA tournament.
Donald Trump has come out of nowhere and nearly punched his ticket to go dancing in the general election, probably with Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Trump, Cruz, Clinton and Sanders=Ugliest #FinalFour I've ever seen. If this was a Cinderella story, it would be the German horror version.
— Jeremy Day (@JeremyJDay) March 16, 2016
But if sports fans recall, Butler did not vanquish the last of their foes in those national championship games, just like Donald Trump won’t vanquish Hillary Clinton if she’s his opponent.
The improbable Cinderella story was fun (if you want to call it that) while it lasted, but just like always, the clock has to strike midnight at some point.
Related links:
Donald Trump protestors, supporters face off outside Fountain Hills rally
When and where to see your favorite presidential candidate in Arizona before Tuesday
Reach the columnist at abundy@asu.edu or follow @abkbundy on Twitter.
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