Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton emerge today as the clear victors of the Super Tuesday primaries.

Trump scored victories in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia. Clinton came first in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

The only candidate that is currently close to Trump with respect to delegate count is Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Cruz scored victories yesterday in Texas, Oklahoma, and Alaska.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio came first in the Minnesota caucus – his first victory so far this campaign season.

At this point, the only feasible way to stop Trump is for Republican candidates to start dropping out, clearing the way for party consolidation around one candidate. Ohio Gov. John Kasich has no argument for staying in the race; neither does neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson.

Rubio’s campaign is on the ropes. He did not win Virginia, and he is currently behind Trump in his home state of Florida. His only hope is to somehow surge and hope Cruz drops out within the next two weeks. Neither of those two things is likely to happen.

Even South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who just last week joked about killing Ted Cruz, said yesterday that “we may be in a position where we have to rally around Ted Cruz as the only way to stop Donald Trump.”

Both Rubio and Cruz are conservatives. Donald Trump is not. In a perfect world, Rubio and Cruz would battle it out, leading to healthy debate and the best candidate being selected. But this is not a perfect world, and we are on the verge of nominating a man who has neither experience nor moral principles. Thus, either Rubio or Cruz must drop out.

Cruz has the best argument for staying in at this point; however, I would not object to his dropping out to support Rubio. Trump must be stopped at all cost.

The fact that Kasich and Carson remain in the race says more about their own self-centeredness – and the ignorance of voters who continue to support them – than it does about anything else.

In short, it’s time for most of the Republican candidates to be patriots and get out of the race. If they don’t, then we may be looking at a conniving liar vs. an incompetent clown for the November election. You decide which candidate is which.