In the Palmetto state, Trump won with 33%, Rubio had 22.5% and Cruz came in third with 22.3% – approximately a thousand votes shy of Rubio.
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Trump is looking for another victory in the Nevada caucus on Tuesday. Trump said to supporters.
“This guy is sick”.
Trump has based much of his campaign on appealing to nontraditional voters and those who have been uninvolved in politics in the past.
In addition to throwing insults at Cruz, Trump also lashed out at a protester.
He added: “I’d like to punch him in the face, I’ll tell ya”. “He’s smiling, having a good time”.
Jonathan Cohn of The Huffington Post writes that the fact that the Republican Party is now down to Trump, Cruz, and Rubio, “speaks volumes about the ideological direction of the Republican Party”.
The candidates were fanning out to their next targets of opportunity as the lights went out in Las Vegas: Trump was campaigning Wednesday in Virginia, then on to Texas and Oklahoma.
“I think it’s the most unpredictable of all the races we’ve had so far”. In particular, claiming a sizable chunk of the Texas’ 155 delegates would be a major windfall for the Trump campaign, not to mention an embarrassment for Cruz. Because Jeb was too Bush and Rubio was young with a cooler name and the establishment ultimately calls the shots once they figure out where the votes are and the money is. “They’re probably worse than Cruz, but not much”.
After finishes of third in Iowa, fifth in New Hampshire and second in South Carolina, Rubio needs a win soon to support his theory that he is the primary beneficiary of Bush’s recent departure from the race.
It’s a new week, and in many ways, a new race on the Republican side of the 2016 presidential primary.
He also carried voters across the GOP’s ideological spectrum, winning self-described very conservative voters by four points over Cruz, somewhat conservative voters by 23 points over Rubio and moderate voters by 26 points.
Cruz though suggested he could do just that. “They are the most dishonest”. Even the debates have been full of bickering and fighting. Cruz told reporters Monday that he had asked his campaign spokesman, Rick Tyler, to resign for tweeting a story that falsely alleged Rubio had insulted the Bible.
The stage has been set for the remainder of the Republican presidential race.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who scored headlines with his second-place finish in New Hampshire, has five delegates, but he is focusing his efforts in northerly Super Tuesday states Vermont, Massachusetts and Virginia.
“We’re winning, winning, winning the country”, Trump declared.
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Orrin Hatch on Monday threw his support behind Rubio, and he said it would be helpful to Rubio for Kasich to drop his bid. But this is no ordinary year, and Trump is no ordinary candidate.
