In the latest of a string of underwhelming primary finishes the former Florida governor took fourth place with 7.8 per cent of the vote in SC, where Donald Trump breezed across the finish line with 33 per cent.
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Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida locked in a battle for second place. Among those who prefer the next president to come from outside the political establishment, 63 percent voted for Trump, whereas those who prefer political experience split their vote between Marco Rubio (38 percent) and Ted Cruz (29 percent).
Jeb Bush speaks to an audience of voters on February 17, 2016 in Beaufort, South Carolina.
“We are the only campaign that has beaten [in Iowa] and can beat Donald Trump”, Mr Cruz told his supporters, who represent the conservative wing of the Republicans.
Mr Rubio declared the Republican nomination was now a “three-person race” and hopes to capitalise on Mr Bush’s withdrawal by securing support from mainstream Republicans.
Donald Trump has won a majority of the delegates in the SC primary – and he has a chance to take them all.
While the billionaire businessman scored a decisive win in New Hampshire, his second-place finish in Iowa to Cruz illustrated gaps in his less-than-robust ground operation, and questions remain about the extent to which he can translate leads in preference polls and large rally crowds into votes. And with another victory expected next week in South Carolina, Clinton will head into Super Tuesday with actual momentum. In fact, Kasich has already turned his attention to delegate-rich Super Tuesday states which will vote on March 1, and is in MA watching results tonight, not SC.
Earlier in the week, Jason Miller, a top Cruz adviser, said Mr. Rubio had “every possible tailwind” in SC, particularly the endorsement of Gov. Nikki R. Haley.
(Neither do Democrats, but that’s another story.) Instead, they elect delegates, who will pick the nominee at the Republican National Convention in July.
Bush thanked his supporters and his campaign staff, who “never, ever, ever gave up”.
‘Bush Country’: Jeb Bush brought out the big guns – even getting his brother, former President George W. Bush, back on the campaign trail.
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The networks called the SC primary for Trump shortly after polls closed on Saturday, with Sens. Sanders got 47.5 percent of the vote.
