Democrats will be salivating at the prospect that the GOP could end up having to choose between Trump and Cruz.
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Supporters introducing Donald Trump his first rally in South Carolina Friday are taking subtle shots at Pope Francis on Friday for his remarks suggesting Trump was not Christian for advocating a wall along the Southern border. The poll was conducted between February 15 and 17.
Don’t stop believin’. At least for the next 32 hours or so.
A new poll released Friday by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal shows the Trump lead in SC shrinking to just five points over Cruz, meaning that the Texas evangelical has managed to shave 11 points off of the advantage held by NY businessman and entertainer Donald Trump. In South Carolina, Republican voters will cast ballots in a primary, while in Nevada, Democrats will caucus – grouping themselves together by candidate to voice their support. Ohio Gov. John Kasich and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson tied for fifth-place, each receiving 9 percent.
But in a worrying bit of news for Trump, there are reports that Bush’s donors are starting to abandon him – and that a group supporting him has suspended plans to buy ads in future states. To help excite them, Cruz has brought along allies to SC this week that include Iowa Rep. Steve King, who has compared immigrants living in the country illegally to drug mules and livestock. The state holds its crucial Republican primary today, and Trump is seeking a comprehensive win that would boost his claim that he is pulling away from his rivals, notably the two first-term senators eager to rein him in.
He said expectations say he’ll be able to fit all of his votes “in a Volkswagon”, adding, “clearly we’re gonna do better than that – we may be able to put them in a van”. On top of all this, don’t forget that Newt Gingrich trailed badly in the final polls before the election in SC four years ago and ended up blowing out the field. All are chasing Trump across SC and the country, each hoping for an eventual one-on-one showdown with the front-runner, starting with a surprise showing in SC.
Saturday’s voter turnout also will be affected by other factors. Go back to the RCP poll average that I linked above and you’ll find that Cruz hasn’t risen as Trump has slipped. However, Rubio led Cruz by a very surprising 22-13 margin. There are new numbers this morning. Trump rebounded in the New Hampshire primary.
Friends, advisers and backers of Rubio says if he should finish behind Bush, it would spell real trouble for the junior senator, according to the Times.
The same poll, just days earlier and prior to the Haley endorsement, had shown Trump with 35 percent, Cruz at 19, and Rubio at 15. The complexion of the race will change wildly depending upon which of those pans out.
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Senators Cruz and Rubio did not appear on the town hall but battled with each other Thursday over allegations the Cruz campaign doctored a photograph to make it appear as if Rubio and President Barack Obama were shaking hands.
