Still, he was lagging far behind in the primary in SC, where his well-organized campaign was outmatched by insurgent billionaire Donald Trump, and Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio was too close to call.
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At the moment, Ted Cruz has a narrow edge over Marco Rubio (22.2% to 21.3%).
“I have put forth a vision for American that includes all, because our country deserves a president for everyone”, he said.
“This is your campaign, and it is a campaign to break down every barrier that holds you back”, Clinton said in her victory speech at her Caesars Palace headquarters on the Las Vegas Strip.
Kasich’s chief strategist John Weaver says in a statement the race will now be a four-man contest between Kasich, Rubio, Cruz and Trump.
Hillary Clinton: She badly needed this win after a drubbing in New Hampshire.
But his failure to stop Trump in SC could puncture that strategy. As such, the only candidate who I think could thwart Trump’s momentum is Rubio. His other rivals will get zero.
The Republican presidential pack shrank to five as Jeb Bush suspended his presidential campaign after a poor showing in Iowa, New Hampshire and now a poor fourth place finish in SC despite a famous name and a massive war chest of over $100 million.
Meanwhile, both Rubio and Cruz tried to spin their finishes in the state as victories.
Bush was introduced by South Carolina Sen. “In New Hampshire they said a conservative, a Bible-believing Christian could not compete”. Despite another disappointing finish for Carson, he told his supporters that he is not dropping out of the race.
SC was the 1st test for candidates in a diverse state and in the solidly Republican southern U.S., so its results are likely predictive ahead of contests in March, when other southern states will host a large number of the primaries and caucuses.
He also asked for a moment of silence for Justice Antonin Scalia, before reminding voters of the election’s stakes.
Cruz said he is “effectively tied for second place” with Rubio but has shows he is the only Republican candidate who “has beaten and can beat Donald Trump”.
Given the state’s dynamics, Cruz should have performed much better. This was as complete victory as you can have with six candidates in the race.
Still, it was Trump who was the only real victor in SC.
Donald Trump scored a solid win Saturday in SC, due in part to a core group of anti-establishment voters who identified him as their pick early on and did not waver from their support.
Trump’s hits on the former president didn’t hurt him with the state’s sizable population of military veterans, who made up 17 percent of the electorate; he carried veterans with 35 percent of the vote.
“After tonight, this has become a three-person race, and we will win the nomination”, Rubio said.
Ultimately, South Carolina will be remembered as the death knell for Bush.
Jeb Bush, the son of former President George HW Bush and brother to former President George W Bush, failed to translate huge funds and Republican donations into votes. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson had a small but loyal cadre of followers.
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Nevada’s caucuses on Tuesday will help tell the tale leading up to the SEC primary.
