Tennesseans have been expected to hit the polls in record numbers for Super Tuesday, and how the GOP front runners fair will have a significant impact on the rest of the race.
If there was any hard and fast rule about this election cycle, Vanderbilt Political Science Chair Dr. John Geer says it well.
"Conventional wisdom needs to be not relied on quite as heavily in 2016," he said laughing, "it doesn't get you as far as it used to."
The success of outsider billionaire Donald Trump has establishment Republicans reeling, and he's seen a lot of backlash as a result.
"I think they're in crisis mode," Geer said.
Trump's constituents are widely believed to be a lot of people are who angry.
"People are upset, they think that the White House policies don't reflect our values, so people are just mad right now and that's what he's tapping into," said TN GOP Executive Director Brent Leatherwood.
Going into Super Tuesday Trump leads with 81 delegates as Cruz and Rubio duke it out at 17 a piece. But March 1 is the biggest day so far and Tennessee has the third most delegates up for grabs with a huge turnout expected.
"Tomorrow's going to be a record-breaking day for the Republican Party," Leatherwood said.
Governor Bill Haslam and Senator Lamar Alexander are some of the many big hitters getting behind Rubio.
And on a grass roots level a small movement out of East Nashville is encouraging voters to #MuffTrump, hitting the polls dressed with duck tape and mop heads in solidarity against him.
It's yet to be seen what impact, if any, the recent endorsement of a former Ku Klux Klan leader will have on his campaign.
"Like everybody else I would've said Trumps would not be the nominee and now it looks like he may be the nominee," Geer said, "these things change very rapidly."
And while Trump's opponents work to get a firmer hold on second place in an election that's anything but expected, what it could all mean for the general election may be the billion dollar question.
"Trump is reshuffling the deck of American politics," said Geer.
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Find your polling place here.
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