On the economy and national security, the candidates offered a sharp contrast to the optimistic portrait of the nation President Barack Obama outlined in his State of the Union address earlier this week, warning that sticking with Democrats in the November election could have dire consequences. Ted Cruz’s eligibility to be president seem to have some legs.
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Donald Trump (left) and Ted Cruz (right) appear on stage at the CNN Republican Presidential Debate in Simi Valley, California on September 16, 2015.
The balancing act of wooing moderate Republicans while staying true to his unwavering conservative political brand presents a dilemma.
“Donald Trump continues to lead among every age group and across every segment of voter alignment, ranging from those who say they are very conservative to the few respondents who claim to be liberal”, said Matt Towery, founder of InsiderAdvantage and a former Republican strategist.
The Establishment scenario is that one of its preferred candidates will eventually gain speed once the “lane” is cleared and somebody gets a direct shot at Trump and/or Cruz.
Guy Eaton, a 57-year-old letter carrier, came to see Cruz on Monday in Washington, New Hampshire, a hilly resort town of about 1,000 people that was incorporated in 1776.
“Goldman Sachs owns (Cruz)”. While two-thirds said he was, 12% said he was not and 24% weren’t sure.
“Just yesterday, Donald Trump promised not only to protect the ethanol mandate, but to expand it, to have the federal government do even more picking winners and losers by mandating ethanol be a larger part of the marketplace”, Cruz added. “I mean, you’ve got to find out”. NPR’s Sarah McCammon met him on the bus in New Hampshire. “I am an American second”.
“I think he can”, said Oliver, who has tattoos of a bald eagle and American flag on his forearms. If no candidate wins on the first ballot, delegates are no longer bound to vote for their state’s primary victor and are free to support a “dark horse” who never competed in a presidential primary or participated in a televised debate.
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“The Washington establishment knows who’s willing to keep the gravy train going”, he said. Much favorable press coverage describes Ryan as a “counterweight to Trump” or the “anti-Trump” who wants to give the eventual nominee a “platform to run on”.
