So maybe Cruz has something else up his sleeve. Because he can do well in Indiana, and there’s no guarantee he will, California’s 172 delegates would basically decide whether we’re headed to a contested convention in July or not. But will Fiorina, who, knowing Trump propensity to dominate the news, be a factor for more than one cycle? Her own short-lived primary surge came on the heels of impressive debate performances. There will be no such public opportunities for her moving forward. Without a stage, she lagged behind most candidate during her run. Will she even matter by June 7?

By most measures, Fiorina has a more impressive story to tell than other candidates. But that’s not how it works. Trump has been absolved of his checkered life in business (until he secures the nomination, that is, when we’re going to hear all about it), but others are held responsible for theirs. A former Hewlett-Packard CEO, her success would be used against her when it comes to the kind working class voters that need to be peeled away.