Republican leaders struggle to accept Trump may be nominee
Donald Trump is poised to score another series of wins in this week's Super Tuesday primary contest -- and the prospect of a Trump nominee is shaking and dividing the Republican Party.
The New York Times reported on the staunch backlash to Trump over the weekend, revealing how the party allegedly attempted repeatedly to grow a coalition to shutdown his candidacy months ago. But party leaders ran into the same problem: no viable alternative to support.
As the Times reported:
Efforts to unite warring candidates behind one failed spectacularly: An overture from Senator Marco Rubio to Mr. Christie angered and insulted the governor. An unsubtle appeal from Mitt Romney to John Kasich, about the party's need to consolidate behind one rival to Mr. Trump, fell on deaf ears.
But at least some prominent party figures appear ready to embrace a Trump GOP presidency.
In a flurry of articles over the weekend, political reporters shared their insights into how the party is handling the realization.
Explore Trump's career and life:
Trump won his first major party support in the last week. On Sunday Sen. Jeff Sessions, who will play a key role in Alabama's vote on Super Tuesday, formally threw his support behind Trump.
That support follows that of former rival Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor who went from opposing Trump to endorsing him this week. "There is no one who is better prepared to provide America with the strong leadership that it needs," Christie said in his announcement.
SEE ALSO: Hillary Clinton just called out Donald Trump in a triumphant victory speech
Christie and Sessions are not alone. -- A survey of GOP insiders conducted by Politico last week showed a sharp pivot toward Trump, with one saying the candidate "continues to be a heat-seeking missile in the GOP, blowing up every obstacle in his way."
But the fight may not be over. The Times says Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to take the fight all the way to November, allowing Republican lawmakers to run attack ads against Trump so they can distance themselves from the candidate.
McConnell reportedly said, "We'll drop him like a hot rock."
Additionally, rumors of a brokered convention still loom large -- in which party leaders would try to wrestle the nomination from Trump despite the results of the primaries and caucuses.
Right now, Trump leads the field so far with 82 delegates, compared to Ted Cruz's 17 and Marco Rubio's 16 delegates.
More on AOL.com:
Congresswoman quits Democratic National Committee, endorses Bernie Sanders
CNN anchor Jake Tapper asks Donald Trump 3 times if he would condemn David Duke and the KKK
Polls: Trump, Clinton ahead in Super Tuesday states
