WEST PALM BEACH, Florida, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump's campaign team projects he could formally clinch the Republican presidential nomination by March 19, given his lead in polls in the early voting states, a senior campaign official said on Monday.
The team believes Trump is on track to win 1,478 delegates by then, based on a mix of public and internal polls, said the official, who requested anonymity to discuss the campaign.
That would be more than enough delegates needed to win a majority of the total of 2,429 delegates who will select a nominee at the Republican National Convention, set for July in Milwaukee.
During the last competitive Republican presidential primary, in 2016, Trump did not formally win the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination until late May.
