Trump is a native New Yorker, who is not widely perceived as either liberal or a New Yorker (unlike Bloomberg). As I see it, 3 factors best explain his soaring candidacy: (1) His tough stand on the illegal influx from Mexico is enormously popular among whites here. All the other candidates are widely perceived as very guarded and untruthful in their public statements and as pandering to the Hispanics. (2) Trump's often crass and disparaging remarks help him more than they hurt him because Americans have an ever deepening disdain for politically correct, packaged candidates and Trump is widely perceived as spontaneous and thus more authentic. (3) Sanders' candidacy is doomed because he is a self-confessed "socialist" and socialism is a dirty word for most Americans. But Sanders has caught up to Hillary is the most recent polls. The constant drip of her e-mail scandal, the perceived Benghazi cover-up, and her perceived unholy alliance to Wall St. has created a widespread perception that she is dishonest and corrupt. Nor should we underestimate the power of the buzz about the movie "13 Hours," (a terrible movie), that seems like the movie people here are most eager to see. Its attempt to remain nonpolitical will, in my view, make it an even more powerful indictment of Hillary's role in this affair in public perception. So more than any other election in my lifetime, this one will hinge on who is perceived as the least objectionable candidate. For that reason, it will be the most compelling election in my lifetime.