George H.W. Bush finished third in the Iowa caucuses in 1988, losing all 99 counties. Bob
Dole lost the New Hampshire primary in 1996, as did George W. Bush in 2000. All were heavy front-runners who eventually won the nomination. Trump himself lost 12 states to Sen. Ted Cruz in 2016, with Sen. Marco Rubio and John Kasich also notching wins. If Trump is judged by the standard of an incumbent, he has some work to do. If he is compared to a normal front-runner, he is doing well by historical standards. Either way, his status is unusual.