Cruz and Trump are going to fight it out until the bitter end for the most-disaffected Republican vote.
Advertisement
The public embrace of a possible brokered convention marks a sharp shift in rhetoric from Rubio’s top adviser that could be created to raise alarm bells among Republican officials.
Bush is also taking incoming from John Kasich, the New Hampshire runner-up who is way, way back in the SC polls.
Trump, scheduled to hold a Wednesday night rally in the state, meanwhile unleashed a SC campaign ad criticizing Cruz as “the worst king of Washington insider who just can’t be trusted”.
Political “revolution” is now trumping the idea of the first female president for America’s young women.
“My kids were watching me last night”, Rubio said of his nationally televised admission that a poor debate performance pushed voters away. “Jeanette and I are raising our four children in the 21st century, and we know how hard it’s become to instill our values in our kids instead of the values they try to ram down our throats”, he told supporters, then added: “In the 21st century, it’s become harder than ever to instill in your children the values they teach in our homes and in our church instead of the values that they try to ram down our throats”.
He also questioned Bush’s foreign policy experience and criticized Cruz for supporting military budget cuts.
With Trump proving in New Hampshire that he can win over a broad coalition of Republicans and independent voters, and Cruz riding high among evangelicals and other social conservatives, the Trump-Cruz battle will be paramount, with mainstream candidates likely scrapping for bronze in SC.
Trump’s smashing victory, in which he more than doubled the vote of his closest rival, confirmed his position as the Republican to beat.
Rubio suffered a devastating blow in the final New Hampshire debate.
And Gov. John Kasich appears – for now – to have supplanted Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks at a campaign event to the Sun City community in Bluffton, S.C., on Thursday Feb. 11, 2016. This will be the first chance for viewers to see how she is retooling her message following the vote in New Hampshire. Had Rubio received scrutiny earlier, voters might have been able to find a candidate who didn’t wilt in the spotlight. “He’s never indicated to me anything other than we’re built for the long haul and it’s going to be a long haul”.
‘Does that make you angry?’ the meeting leader asks. The last remaining candidate, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, finished farther off the pace.
It’s by no means assured that Rubio’s candidacy will survive that long.
Trump, 69, a billionaire businessman, has a double-digit lead over conservative Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in opinion polls for the next Republican contest, the SC primary on February 20, according to a Real Clear Politics average of opinion polls. Yet Rubio downplayed expectations when talking to reporters.
Advertisement
Among Republicans, several candidates embraced the chaos Thursday as they felt out the best strategies to survive SC and advance into a grueling March primary schedule, when 58 percent of the party’s delegate total will be at stake.
