Considering Bush’s 2016 strategy up until today-under which he and Right to Rise hammered candidates like Marco Rubio harder than they ever hammered Trump-it’s easy to say he’s just trying to save some face at the lowest, most humiliating moment of his political career. 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. If he were to someone slip to second place, even by a close margin, it would be enough of an upset for many to paint it as a wide-open race again.
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Rep. Mark Sanford, the former SC governor of Appalachian Trail fame and now on his second run as a congressman, endorsed Cruz on Friday. So that’s one down-and a big one, because the outside money spent on Bush’s behalf has mostly been dedicated to bringing Marco Rubio down.
Mr. Bush’s exit could benefit Mr. Rubio because the Florida senator had been the chief target for Mr. Bush and his allied political action committees.
Despite Trump’s recent quarrel with Pope Francis and an 11-point drop in his lead, according to a poll from NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist Friday, “The Donald” is nearly certainly going to win Saturday’s primary in the conservative state.
The outcome will also have high stakes for Trump’s rivals, who are hoping to halt his momentum and establish themselves as the best-positioned alternatives to his unorthodox candidacy. After South Carolina, only 103 delegates have been awarded. Mr. Cruz in particular took his best shots yet at Mr. Trump, running ads highlighting his 1999 pro-choice stance and arguing Mr. Trump would be a risky person to make Supreme Court appointments.
Trump’s strong showing in SC marked his second straight victory in the Republican primaries.
“Folks, let’s go, let’s have a big win in Nevada-Let’s put this thing away”, he tells hundreds of screaming supporters at a victory party in a Spartanburg.
With 7 percent of the vote counted in early and unofficial returns, Trump led with 34.2 percent of the vote, followed by Cruz at 21.5 percent and Rubio at 21.1 percent.
Jeb Bush, who seemed headed for a single-digit finish in the Palmetto State, announced he would suspend his presidential campaign.
Kasich, who finished second to Trump in New Hampshire, acknowledged he was an underdog in the state and turned his focus north.
Cruz, who defeated Trump in the Iowa caucuses and was hoping for a repeat in the SC primary, says he is seeking to build “the old Reagan coalition” of evangelicals, economic conservatives, young people and Ronald Reagan-style Democrats.
“Pretty simple: If (Clinton) loses diverse (Nevada) after having (a) great organization, all major endorsements, huge last-minute blitz, very ominous”.
But the pastor of South Carolina’s largest church is not on the Trump bandwagon.
Pundits speculated whether any result in the primary could keep former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the race, despite his maintaining narrow leads over Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Dr. Ben Carson – whose support has them in fourth, fifth and sixth place in almost every poll of the state.
Rubio is returning to his central campaign themes of a strong US military and a new generation of conservatism.
Donald Trump’s wife is breaking her usual silence and talking up his candidacy after he won the South Carolina Republican primary.
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Bush has bristled at the charge, telling supporters he has visited 89 countries and seen his brother and father develop foreign policy as U.S. presidents.
