But as the results of the Kansas caucus began to roll in, Trump held a rally in Orlando, Fla. that was punctuated by protest, and the apparent debut of a “protestor cam” by the Trump campaign to show the action.
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“I think it’s time for [Rubio] to drop out of the race”, Trump said.
Romney spoke to CNN’s “State of the Union” in an interview broadcast Sunday.
Trump closed out the evening declaring victory during a press conference at his Florida headquarters.
Saturday’s voting also offers yet another chance for Rubio and Cruz to try to build a comeback as they attempt to deprive Trump of the nomination.
The real-estate mogul was expected to perform well in both states he lost to Cruz, despite a lack of reliable public polling.
Here’s the wrinkle, though, with Trump’s call for Rubio to get out of the race: Even if Rubio dropped out, Trump wouldn’t be facing Cruz one on one, because Ohio Governor John Kasich would still be in the race.
The Latest on the 2016 presidential caucuses in Kansas. On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders notched wins in Nebraska and Kansas, while front-runner Hillary Clinton snagged Louisiana, another divided verdict from the American people.
Clinton earned 55 delegates to Sanders’ 47. But before that, she and Sanders will go head-to-head Sunday in Maine’s Democratic caucus where 30 delegates are up for grabs.
Cruz’s robust performance comes on a day of primaries and caucuses in five states that front-runners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump hope to use to solidify their delegate leads in the Democratic and Republican presidential races. Trump put the former down to Maine’s proximity to Cruz’s birthplace: Canada.
Cruz won at least 64 delegates Saturday, making a small dent in Trump’s lead for Republican convention delegates.
On the Republican side, Louisiana has tended to vote for conservative, evangelical candidates.
Maine Democrats and Puerto Rico Republicans hold their nominating contests.
A couple hours later, the Maine Republican Party announced that Cruz was the victor in its caucuses. The Marco Rubio hype machine is winding down and his bubble will completely pop on March 15 in Florida if he doesn’t win. Trump won in close races in Louisiana and Kentucky where he underperformed polls showing him with double-digit leads earlier in the week.
Rubio said the upcoming schedule of primaries would be “better for us”, and renewed his vow to win his home state of Florida, claiming all 99 delegates there on March 15. “Has to” and that the Florida senator had “a very, very bad night”.
Mainstream Republicans have blanched at Trump’s calls to build a wall on the border with Mexico, round up and deport 11 million undocumented immigrants and temporarily bar all Muslims from entering the United States.
A loyalty test for Democrats?
It is fresh evidence that there is no quick end in sight to the bitter contest, and both men suggested other rivals should now quit. That’s the same start time as the finale episode of public television’s “Downton Abbey”.
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Supporters of Vermont Sen.
