Below is a brief excerpt from Potomac Research Group Chief Political Strategist JT Taylor's Morning Bullets sent to institutional clients each morning.
DEBACLE IN DETROIT:
We've thought before that John Kasich was the winner of past debates, only to realize that we were one of the lone (if not the only) voices in the wilderness. But we're sticking by our guns this time around and declaring him our winner of last night's, well, debate in Detroit.
Donald Trump came under fire from Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and the Fox moderators -- who finally shed light on the costs of his proposals - but the Teflon Donald dodged the constant barrage of attacks on his business record as well as his vague policy positions. Kasich wasn't baited into the scrum, kept to his script and discussed his record and solutions for the country in sharp, sharp contrast to the sideshow taking place just feet away from him.
Now back to reality. We don't see last night changing the contours of the race or Trump's base of support -- though Kasich may get another look and some support in a few critical upcoming states.
RIP VAN WINKLE REPUBLICANS:
The Republican establishment has hit the snooze button more times than they had thought. They have now begun to scramble to dethrone Trump's campaign -- coming about six months too late.
Donors, party leaders, and super PACs have been pouring money into ads (especially in FL) while publicly decrying the business mogul, as a joint effort against him (see next bullet) -- leaving many to wonder if this is doing more harm to the party than good. All of this has sparked suggestions of a third party being born as a result of the rift.
How will conservatives successfully argue their point when Trump is the legitimate frontrunner?