Tea party flame-thrower Ted Cruz is showing voters his softer side during his presidential campaign in Iowa, whether through his joke-laced stump speech or one-on-one interactions. With just 2 ½ weeks to go until voters start weighing in, candidates are clawing at each other, hoping to advance in time.
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Cruz vs. Trump: Donald Trump has been consistently bringing up the issue of Ted Cruz’s citizenship.
A new ad from a Hillary Clinton-aligned super-PAC attacks Ted Cruz as even more “dangerous” than fellow GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. So it’s striking who is considered establishment nowadays (Haley, Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio).
Jeb Bush was at the Machine Shed in Urbandale on Wednesday, talking about his pride in being a Bush and his experience as Florida governor. Bush first blasted Trump as a “jerk” last month, but has been doubling down on it in recent days. Rubio has been the target of close to $1 million in negative advertising, mostly in Iowa and mostly by Cruz boosters.
The debate is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on Fox Business.
The result? Rand Paul and Carly Fiorina got bumped to the undercard.
Speaking to 300 voters in New Hampshire last week, Bush said a country “where everybody is in pursuit of their own dreams” is an aspiration worth fighting for, and “I intend to fight until the bitter end”. The attack came after Trump raised questions over the Canadian-born Cruz’s ability to serve as president.
“Cruz now finds himself in the cross hairs where pretty much everyone else has found themselves with Donald Trump”, said New Hampshire Republican operative Patrick Griffin. Being thoughtful, serious and visionary hasn’t been enough.
Jeb’s in a zero-sum contest with Rubio, Christie and Kasich. Following the debate, he is set to resume a four-day swing through SC, with stops Friday in Columbia and North Greenville then Saturday in Fort Mill and Myrtle Beach. They are the manifestation of the real problem – a failing government with elected Republican representatives who have refused to stand up to Obama.
Carson. Can he rebound?
Bush continued, “So, in recognition of that, what I want to do is make sure that the conservative cause is advanced”.
Mr. Shaddock said one of Mr. Trump’s senior Iowa operatives, Marshall Critchfield, had told him not to bring up his conspiracy views when calling voters. If he can offer easy-to-understand ideas, he could have a good night. Although many legal experts believe Cruz’s American mother means he meets the US Constitution’s “natural-born” citizen requirement for presidents, Trump has suggested daily that Cruz could be ineligible for the Oval Office. Bush can do better.
At a November campaign rally, Trump sparked intense backlash when he dramatically impersonated the reporter supposedly retracting an old story that Trump claimed had validated his claim that Muslims in New Jersey celebrated the September 11, 2001, terror attack. Chances are viewers will see more of Kasich’s signature style Thursday. Bush has since poured his energy into policy proposals, especially on confronting the Islamic State group, and redoubling his effort in New Hampshire.
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Those three are all running on their records of governing big states, but by appealing to similar constituencies with a similar overarching message, they have crowded into the same political space trail as Trump, Cruz and Rubio.
