Dem
51
GOP
49
We are not sure how the line between "presidential candidate worth noting" and "unserious candidate running a vanity campaign" is drawn, but somehow megapastor Ryan Binkley ended up on the "worth noting" side of that line. He never had any hope of winning the Republican presidential nomination, or even any delegates, and yet he gets his name listed in the results, as opposed to being lumped in with "Other Candidates."
In any event, whatever he was trying to do—Get some publicity for his ministry? Position himself for a run at some other political office? Make the case that he should play the next incarnation of The Doctor?—he either did it, or concluded he's not going to be able to do it. And so, he dropped out yesterday and promptly endorsed Donald Trump. That means that, among the "serious" candidates, it's just Trump and Nikki Haley still standing.
Over the course of his "campaign," Binkley spent $10 million of his own money, and for that, he collected about 2,000 votes across four primaries/caucuses. That means he spent $5,000 per vote, which isn't exactly very efficient. We guess it means that inflation is even affecting the cost of tilting at windmills. Sorry, Don Binkley-ote. It is ironic, we would say, that his main and only campaign plank was reining in reckless spending. Physician, heal thyself. (Z)