Donald Trump Signs Pledge To Forego Independent Bid If He Is Unsuccessful in Securing Republican Nomination

In the first GOP debate on Fox News earlier this year, Donald Trump didn't rule out the possibility of running as an Independent if he was unable to secure the Republican Presidential nomination.

Earlier today, however, Trump signed a pledge that promises that he will NOT run independently if he is unable to win the Republican nomination. The Republican party circulated this pledge to all of the 17 GOP candidates, but the document was obviously meant for Donald Trump. By signing the pledge, Trump declared to the world that he was "pledging allegiance to the Republican party and the conservative principles for which it stands."

Of the 17 GOP candidates, only one has the popularity and money to run independently, and that is Donald Trump. An Independent bid for Trump almost certainly would have sealed the victory for the Democrats, as Trump would have likely pulled many Republican voters with him. This vote-splitting almost certainly would have handed Hillary Clinton (if she does end up securing the Democratic nomination, of course) the victory on a silver platter. Donald Trump acknowledged this in a press conference earlier today, as he stated that a united Republican front was the best way to take away the White House from the Democrats in 2016.

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Donald Trump continues to lead the race for the Republican nomination by a large margin. According to the latest polling numbers, Trump has 27.2% support of Republican and Republican-leaning voters, compared to 13.2% for Ben Carson and 9.2% for Jeb Bush. Jeb Bush, who has been squarely in Donald Trump's crosshairs over the past few weeks, has slid dramatically since he officially announced his candidacy for President. While Trump is all flash and outlandishness, Jeb Bush is quiet and understated and this has clearly hurt his so far. There are many people, however, who believe that it will be Jeb Bush who is left standing when all is said and done.

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Despite Trump's continued strength, Hillary Clinton is still ahead in a hypothetical 2016 Presidential match-up against "The Donald" by an estimated six points. As we've seen over the past few months, however, Donald Trump should never be counted out.

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