Marco Rubio on Sunday increased his delegate count in the Republican Presidential Primary by winning Puerto Rico and all 23 delegates; a win that could be in part due to the votes of prisoners as well.
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Fresh misgivings about Rubio’s path forward are the latest in a series of obstacles that threatens the Florida senator’s future in this roller-coaster Republican campaign, with a must-win March 15 primary looming in his home state.
The overall GOP front-runner Donald Trump followed well behind at 13 percent, then Texas Sen.
Rubio’s Puerto Rico victory comes a day after four states held their nominating contests.
For Puerto Rican GOP voters who were undecided or not paying attention, Rubio’s win in their home territory says “pssst; Boricuas vote for me”, a message that could make a difference on the Tuesday-after-this-coming.
Voters said in interviews that they want a U.S. president who will help Puerto Rico emerge from a decade of recession and a debt crisis that threatens basic government services.
Democrats in Puerto Rico will vote to choose a candidate on June 5.
Faced with improbable mathematical odds to obtain the 1,237 delegates required to clinch the nomination, Rubio’s campaign has raised the possibility of a brokered convention in July, in which delegates would be freed from voting in line with state primary election results. “I think, though, in the end we’re going to be successful and right back in the mix”.
While campaigning in Puerto Rico, he gave speeches entirely in Spanish, according to reports.
Instead, he finished a disappointing third in the Saturday caucus in Kansas, repeating the same pattern as in some Super Tuesday states earlier last week: a big last-minute push, notable endorsements and a thud of a finish. “We’re going to win Florida”, he promises, ahead of a “long slog” for delegates thereafter.
Rubio recently secured endorsements from key Republican leaders in Puerto Rico, including Luis Fortuño, who served as Governor of Puerto Rico from 2009-2012. All three of the territory’s superdelegates had already endorsed Rubio, who spent part of Saturday campaigning there.
Buckhorn, a Hillary Clinton supporter, said he expects her to win the Democratic primary.
Rubio’s victory in Puerto Rico, however, could help bolster his chances.
In Kansas, Rubio lost to Ted Cruz by 32 percent.
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After the results, Trump called on Rubio to quit the White House race.
