"In 2012 when Barack Obama won 332 electoral votes and Mitt Romney 206, with 270 needed to get the big job. In order to defeat Hillary Clinton, Trump would have to win all the states that Romney won and add at least three more large states. That will not be easy because west of the Mississippi, Trump does not play as well as he does in the east. So states like Arizona and Utah, which Romney carried, may be competitive. Writing in the Wall Street Journal today, Republican strategist John Barbender says Trump's presidential hopes hinge on winning in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. According to recent polls, all of those states are in play. If Trump prevails in those three states and can fight off Hillary Clinton west of the Mississippi, he'll be president. If Mr. Trump wins New York he will take up residence on Pennsylvania Avenue. However, New York is a very tough state for Republicans with so many minority voters. The wild card is anxiety. 79% of Americans say they are frustrated with the country for various reasons. If anxiety grows, and it well could with terror attacks, police assassinations and a very shaky economy, Trump will get stronger and will capitalize on the disenchantment. That's because Hillary Clinton is a conventional candidate pretty much pledged to carrying on President Obama's policies. The debates begin in September and that will mean everything. But Donald Trump does have a chance a real chance to become President on the United States."

The Factor welcomed the aforementioned Republican consultant John Barbender and political scientist Larry Sabato. "Donald Trump is not your quintessential Republican nominee," Barbender opined, "and the way for him to get to the White House is not to follow the game plan we had in the past. The real targets for him are the sons and daughters of Reagan Democrats and they reside in the rust belt. If he can win Ohio and Pennsylvania and add Florida, he'll be president. I think he can do it." Sabato expressed skepticism about Trump's chance to win in Florida. "I agree with John about Ohio and Pennsylvania, but I disagree about Florida. The demographic balance has changed there, it is much more minority and that helps Hillary Clinton. I think Trump's best path to victory is to win Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. If he carries those four plus all the Romney states, he gets exactly 270 electoral votes."

With the looming threat of terrorism and the recent spate of cop-killings, The Factor asked Juan Williams and Lisa Boothe about the general feeling of angst in America. "The polls are clear about the high level of anxiety," Williams said, "and people say we are headed in the wrong direction. And you have people like Donald Trump perpetrating lies and distortions to stir that fear and anxiety so they can exploit it politically." Boothe contended that Hillary Clinton will have a hard time because of her establishment reputation. "If you look at Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida, more than 70% of Americans say the system is broken and they want radical change. That is the message Trump is sending, he is addressing those concerns." The Factor reminded Williams, "I don't know if you have to spread 'lies and distortions' when you have eleven police officers gunned down this month alone and when people feel anxious."

Another police officer was shot and killed in Kansas City, Kansas Tuesday, and many cops now feel they have targets on their backs. Despite the violence, the rapper Ice Cube says he will continue to perform his 1988 song 'F*** tha Police.' Bernard McGuirk and Greg Gutfeld opined on the controversy. "Hating cops is a stepping stone to a great career," Gutfeld lamented. "Ice Cube wound up making millions as an actor playing a cop, and Ice T plays a detective on Law & Order. So as much as they hate cops, they don't mind playing cops and making millions. And when their beachside mansions get broken into, rappers don't call Black Lives Matter." McGuirk laid part of the blame for the anti-cop sentiment on liberal politicians. "It is beyond disgusting that Ice Cube won't consider stopping performing that song. But the president of the United States and the presumptive Democratic nominee cite misleading statistics about the shootings and arrests of blacks."

Legal wizards Lis Wiehl and Kimberly Guilfoyle scrutinized how crime is playing a major role at the Republican convention. "Law and order is on the minds of everyone here in Cleveland," Guilfoyle reported. "It's been the one unifying theme it is the striking difference between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, which has helped legitimize Black Lives Matter." Wiehl reported that a cop's job is becoming ever more perilous. "There were 48,000 police officers assaulted in 2014, the latest year stats are available. And policing is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country. This should not be a political issue, but it is." The Factor criticized President Obama for inviting Black Lives Matter leaders to the White House and predicted, "You won't see pro-police speakers next week at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia."

Turning to the global jihad and terrorism, The Factor asked Fox News analyst Lt. Col. Ralph Peters whether any president can actually reduce the threat. "If Donald Trump is president," Peters asserted, "he could pick the right subordinates. My 'dream team' would be Mike Flynn as Director of National Intelligence, Chris Christie as Attorney General, John Bolton as Secretary of State, Jeff Sessions at Defense, and Rudy Giuliani at Homeland Security. You would see fewer dead Americans and a lot more dead terrorists! Dealing with terrorism would be a promise that Donald Trump would have to do his best to fulfill."

During his stay in Cleveland, Jesse Watters strolled over to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where he asked some people about politics. Here's a sampling of their trenchant analyses: "Elvis was an entertainer and Trump is an entertainer, so Elvis would have voted for Trump" ... "James Brown would have voted for Bernie Sanders" ... "Janis Joplin would be for Hillary all the way" ... "I don't think Jimi Hendrix would have voted for either one of them!"

Finally, Fox News anchors Martha MacCallum and Bill Hemmer gave their impressions of Tuesday afternoon at the convention. "No GOP candidate has won without winning Ohio," MacCallum said, "but the treatment of Ohio is one of the big stories here. It's obvious that the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee do not feel they have to give any priority to Ohio, and there is a lot of animosity between Ohio Governor John Kasich and the Trump campaign." Bill Hemmer reported that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's rousing opening night speech has made him one of the convention's biggest stars. "Clearly this crowd ate up Rudy Giuliani's speech last night and tonight you are really going to hear the prosecution of Hillary Clinton with questions about her trustworthiness and behavior."

20-year-old Marlana VanHoose, who has cerebral palsy and is blind, wowed the Republican National Convention with her stirring rendering of the National Anthem. Marlana's determination to overcome very difficult hardships serves as a lesson to all of us.