Now that we’re a solid five weeks into the 2016 presidential primaries, we can visualize the battle over delegates on both sides. Using data compiled by Daily Kos contributing editor Taniel, whose real-time delegate tracker is the best you’ll find anywhere, we've plotted each candidate’s delegate totals over time, from the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1 through the contests in Maine and Puerto Rico on Sunday, March 6.
Above, you can see the GOP battle, where Donald Trump has legged out to a significant lead. To date, he’s won 43 percent of all available delegates, while Ted Cruz has taken 33 percent. However, over the weekend, Cruz’s performance in the post-Super Tuesday states allowed him to make up a bit of the gap, netting 16 delegates on Trump. The question now is whether Cruz can continue to do well—and thus potentially keep The Donald from amassing a delegate majority.
The picture on the Democratic side—looking only at pledged delegates, not super-delegates—is much clearer:
Hillary Clinton legged out to a considerable lead on Super Tuesday, and Sanders wasn’t really able to dent it over the weekend, netting just two delegates. That leaves Clinton with 58.5 percent of all pledged delegates, versus just 41.5 percent for Sanders. That’s a daunting gulf, particularly since Clinton is ahead in the polling in many of the big upcoming states, such as Michigan, Florida, and North Carolina.