Some Republicans are holding out hope that a new candidate — perhaps Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin or Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp — will drop into the GOP presidential primary at the last moment and stop former President Donald Trump from winning the party’s nomination.

But at this late date, even The Flash would have a tough time beating deadlines to get on the primary ballot in some states, according to Republicans familiar with the mechanics of running for president.

“The runway for someone to realistically run for president is basically over,” said Nick Trainer, who served as Delegates and Party Organization director on Trump’s 2020 campaign but is not working for a White House hopeful this cycle.

[Brownie points if you get the Carole King reference in the headline. But NBC doesn’t mention that it’s not just too late for *Republicans* in this cycle. The window is also rapidly closing on any rational alternatives to Biden for 2024 through the primary process except for Harris, who’s already on the ticket. At this late stage, no Democrat could get campaigns up and running fast enough to challenge Biden thanks to the same deadlines. That’s a much bigger problem for Democrats; Republicans already have plenty of options. — Ed]