Mark Parent
Opinions Editor

Marco Rubio must be the republican presidential nominee. If Republicans don’t go that route, it’s likely that one of three things will happen: Ted Cruz will lose to Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump will lose to Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will defeat Hillary Clinton.

You read that right: Donald Trump could easily become the 45th President of the United States.

Frankly, I am so tired of elitist snobs saying that this is an impossibility. In fact, the more these critics ridicule Trump and his supporters, the broader his support base grows. Put simply, republicans — and, increasingly, independents — are so tired of the politically correct media and party establishment that they’re willing to hand the Oval Office to a political novice who lacks nuanced policy views.

As a republican — and a Rubio supporter — the primary season has been deeply frustrating. Our allegedly “deep” bench of candidates has largely proven to be a mere illusion, and the mistakes made by many top-tier candidates have been utterly mind-boggling.

For starters, Sen. Marco Rubio — by far the best candidate in the field — has chosen to continue skipping critical policy votes in the Senate. Of course, this wouldn’t be such a big deal under normal circumstances, except for the fact that he decided to miss a vote on a $1.1 trillion spending package. That decision alone should call into question Rubio’s judgment.

Next, let’s take a look at New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. The one-time frontrunner — in 2014 — has managed to get back into the nominating conversation. However, all of his hopes and dreams are staked on a strong finish in New Hampshire, which is going to be a very difficult task. Certainly, if Christie were to make a run at the nomination, he would be easily disarmed due to his dreadful record as governor and past scandals. Too bad for you, Chris.

And while we’re at it we might as well eliminate Ohio Gov. John Kasich, too. He’s in a similar position to Christie, without the charisma. Not to mention the fact that often times Kasich appears to be running against the republican party. Oh, and did you know his dad was a mailman?

But, honestly, neither of these candidates can even compare to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. He is just so pathetic, geeky and weak that he makes Rick Santorum look presidential; yet, what many voters often overlook is that Bush is single-handedly destroying the republican party.

Consider this: Jeb Bush is perhaps the worst candidate in the 2016 field — well, George Pataki was a tad bit worse — but despite these obvious shortcomings, he still managed to suck up over $100 million from donors and numerous endorsements from important republican figures.

This abundance of cash for Bush has had three consequences. First, it has prolonged a candidacy that should’ve ended months ago. Second, the rally towards Bush in the early days of the primary campaign sent a message of corruption and nepotism toward the primary base. Third, establishment support has been so hesitant to abandon the Bush campaign that it has prevented a major surge for Rubio, another establishment favorite.

And due to this lack of conformity on the establishment wing of the party, Ted Cruz and Donald Trump have taken over.

Cruz, an opportunistic politician, has the potential to drive away independent supporters and lose key battleground states in a general election.

Cruz readily admits to this on the campaign trail, but he claims it doesn’t matter because he’ll energize conservatives who don’t typically vote — by all accounts, this is a fantastical solution. Put simply, if conservatives can’t get excited to vote against President Obama, they won’t brave the cold November weather and vote for Ted Cruz.

Nevertheless, due to his current poll standing the possibility of a Cruz nomination is increasingly possible.

But, in all honesty, Cruz is not the most likely nominee for the Republican Party. Instead, that distinction belongs to Donald Trump.

Just a few months ago, the notion of a Trump nomination was simply unbelievable. Well, that was a few months ago.

Oddly, Trump’s rather crude and unconventional campaign has only gained steam as time has worn on. He’s like an earworm song that you don’t like but can’t get out of your head and eventually warm up to.

In fact, he’s beginning to even gain respect from the mainstream media!

Obviously, there’s nothing that I can write in this article that hasn’t already been written about Trump. Yet, there is something that must be stressed to all of the non-Trump supporters out there: people who like Donald Trump are not racist, nor are they bigots.

The overwhelming majority of Trump supporters are disaffected blue-collar workers who simply want a return to more prosperous times. Trump speaks their language and cares about their issues; that’s why they like him. The fact that some know-it-all college student believes they’re racist is, frankly, irrelevant and counterproductive.

Instead, republicans and independents alike should stand up against Trump’s protectionism, unspecific policy proposals and unwillingness to tackle critical government reforms. If we all do this — and rally around Marco Rubio — a Trump nomination can be avoided. But, if this doesn’t happen, get ready for the nastiest general election fight of our lifetime.

And, please, don’t be surprised if Trump wins.