Trump leads Republican race, but rival candidates continue to hang on

US Republican presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz talks with a group of college students after eating at Joe's Kansas City BBQ in Olathe, Kansas March 2, 2016, before a campaign event at Johnson County Community College. [Photo/Agencies]

"Cruz will stay in the race with his victories (on Tuesday) and his hope that he can replicate them in upcoming primaries in other southern states," Mahaffee said of the Texas senator.

"However, given how he is disliked by establishment Republicans, he's the last choice to coalesce behind as the anti-Trump," Mahaffee said.

On Super Tuesday, Cruz won the states of Oklahoma, Texas and Alaska. He continues to march on in a bid to clinch the nomination, although many analysts say a Cruz nomination is increasingly unlikely at this stage in the game.

In a speech during Super Tuesday, Cruz marketed himself as the only real alternative to Trump.

"After tonight, we've seen that our campaign is the only campaign that has beaten, that can beat, and that will beat Donald Trump," Cruz said, calling on lower-ranked GOP candidates to drop out of the race so that he might earn more votes from those who do not want to see Trump clinch the nomination.