During last Tuesday’s primary vote, he won easily in MI – the first primary election among the Rust Belt states – with 36.5 per cent of the votes, compared with 24.9 per cent for Texas Senator Ted Cruz and 24.3 per cent for Mr Kasich. Based on the blog’s weighted polling average, 36 percent of Show-Me State Republicans support Trump, 30 percent are for Cruz, and Rubio and Kasich are in a statistical tied with 9 percent.
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Donald Trump could be poised to deal the fatal blow to Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign Tuesday.
The latest polls nevertheless showed the Republican frontrunner in a position to win the Tuesday contests, although Ohio’s Governor John Kasich holds a narrow lead in his state in some surveys. Seeking a final boost in his home state, Kasich spent Monday campaigning alongside Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee and a fierce critic of Trump.
“But if Trump doesn’t win both states, the GOP is likely to find itself in Cleveland with no candidate above the 1,237-delegate majority needed to claim the nomination”.
His pitch has taken on a more pointed tone in recent days, after violence erupted outside a Trump rally in Chicago.
In the winner-take-all presidential primary, Kasich is enjoying high approval ratings and state party backing in his bid to win 66 delegates to leave open the possibility of a contested GOP national convention this July in Cleveland.
If Rubio doesn’t win Florida, there will be intense pressure on him to drop out.
On the Democratic side, the polls have former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leading in Florida, Ohio and North Carolina, while IL and Missouri are tight. Gov. Kasich leads in some OH polls. Sen.
He said no one gets hurt at his “love-fest” rallies.
“The decision we make in this election will determine what life is like for a generation in the greatest country on earth and that’s why I’m here to ask you to support me”, Rubio stated. During a rally in Hickory, North Carolina, with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Trump downplayed the protests and blamed them on Democratic president candidate Bernie Sanders.
Mr Romney has not endorsed anyone in the nomination fight, but he did note at the Kasich event that the OH governor has a “real record”, unlike others in the race.
The clashes that erupted at Trump’s Friday rally in Chicago marked an escalation in tensions that have trailed the controversial candidate. Rubio said Monday he would “shock the country” with a victory in Florida despite Trump’s big lead there.
It was unclear whether the tensions at his campaign events might hinder Trump’s advance to the nomination to be the Republican candidate in November’s election to succeed Democrat Barack Obama.
The vibe at Trump’s events has deepened the angst over his candidacy in some Republican circles.
Trump went into Tuesday’s contests with 460 delegates to 370 for Cruz, 163 for Rubio and 63 for Kasich. I mean my kids are watching this, your kids, your grandkids are watching what’s happening here and they’re looking at a scene of people pounding each other.
“I can give you one example where I would no longer support Donald Trump”, he told reporters Monday in Rockford, Ill. Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina vote too.
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Cruz is making five stops across IL on Monday, the day before the state’s primary. Its decision to avoid launching further TV ads now is an implicit recognition that the senator’s campaign could be coming to an end if he loses to front-runner Donald Trump on Tuesday.
