Ted Cruz – 36 percent to 12 percent – because he did well among both moderates and conservatives and most age categories, except the elderly. In 2000, after losing New Hampshire by a wide margin, SC marked a critical comeback moment for George W. Bush.
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Trump even matched Cruz among New Hampshire Republicans who call themselves evangelical Christians.
New Hampshire destroyed any momentum Rubio had coming out of Iowa and for now, at least, locks Rubio in a messy muddle in his party’s establishment wing. “The results also left Republicans, once again, without a consensus alternative to Trump – and with dwindling hope of finding one”.
Kasich drew 16 percent of the vote in the Granite State Tuesday night, enough to well outpace his other contenders in the “establishment lane”, including Jeb Bush and Chris Christie, who ended his campaign on Wednesday.
The GOP-dominated region has always been defined by a deep distrust of Washington, and in recent years has elected a number of tea party candidates to Congress, all of them promising to fight President Barack Obama. “There’s a lot of appreciation and feedback for me going in depth”, he said. Cruz on Wednesday previewed what could be a brawl for that faction in SC, calling the state a “Southern Baptist state” like Texas.
Jeb! is making it a family affair – and not running from his last name – in SC. The candidate likes to say he’s seen presidencies “done right” by having a close view to his dad and brother and has begun using an anecdote about the need to be prepared and steady in the Oval Office for when unexpected tragedy arises – chiefly events like the September 11th attacks. Cruz already claims more than 8,000 volunteers in SC, some of them based in a dorm-like residence similar to what was known as “Camp Cruz” in Iowa.
The incident happened while the Republican candidate was talking about last Saturday’s GOP debate. Now six remain; and with former surgeon Ben Carson going nowhere, only five have a chance to win the nomination.
Now officially a victor after clinching New Hampshire, Donald Trump faced a fresh test for his once-improbable campaign as the Republican presidential race careened into more conservative territory in SC. “It’s a much more diverse state – demographically, geographically, economically”.
In South Carolina, Kasich has barely registered in polls to date. Rabbi Robin Nafshi of Temple Beth Jacob in Concord, New Hampshire, told the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein that Sanders’ victory has sent a message about Judaism.
“I don’t think anyone is going to wrap this up in SC or Nevada”, he said. I think he’s very talented, very likable.
SC is not Kasich’s only blind spot. He’ll never have his brother’s political skills, but had he been this polished a candidate nine months ago, the race might look very different today. Rubio also has prominent Republicans backing him in the state, including Sen.
The week ahead of the February 20 primary will be crucial, Graham said, because “after SC, the presidential race will be reshaped”. He said campaign finance could be a “defining issue” of the election. On Monday, she and Cruz’s father, Rafael, attended phone banks and met with pastors across the Palmetto State. Kasich had staked most of his presidential ambitions on New Hampshire, holding more than 100 town halls across the state and racking up endorsements from more newspaper editorial boards in the state than any of his rivals.
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“It’s just the reality – he doesn’t have to win the state to continue to go on”, Gonzalez said of SC. “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”.
