Peter Schorsch
It’s called Super Tuesday for a reason.
Voters in the four states to hold 2016 presidential primaries and caucuses thus far have handed out just a fraction of the delegates it takes to win the Democratic and Republican nominations.
But when a dozen states vote on March 1, nearly half the delegates needed to win the GOP nod and more than one-third required to take the mantle of the Democratic Party are at stake.
The phrase “Super Tuesday” was first used in 1980, to describe three southern states — Alabama, Florida and Georgia — holding primaries on the same day, says Domenico Montanaro of NPR. By 1984, the number was nine. The modern-day Super Tuesdayemerged in 1988, he writes, “when a dozen southern states on the Democratic side, upset with the nomination of Walter Mondale four years earlier and frustrated with being out of power in the White House for 20 years, save for one term of Jimmy Carter, banded together to try and nominate someone more moderate.” It backfired, Montanaro notes. Tennessee Sen. Al Gore and Jesse Jackson split the southern states; Jackson took a majority of black Democratic votes. This allowed Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis to grab the nomination by winning the North, Texas and Florida – only to lose in the general election.
Here is the slate of poll-closing times: 7:00 p.m.: Georgia, Vermont, Virginia; 8:00 p.m.: Alabama, Massachusetts, Minnesota (caucus), Oklahoma, Tennessee; 8:30 p.m.: Arkansas; 9:00 p.m.: Texas, Colorado (Democrats caucus); 12:00 a.m.: Alaska
Here is a live-blog of the latest news in the run-up to Super Tuesday.
TUESDAY
3:45 a.m. – Cruz has won the Republican presidential caucuses in Alaska. It’s his third win on Super Tuesday, adding to victories in the Texas and Oklahoma primaries.
Cruz adds 12 delegates to his total with the win in Alaska. Trump will take home 11 delegates from the state, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio gets five delegates.
Cruz’s win in Alaska is the final Super Tuesday contest. The 2016 presidential race will resume on Saturday, with primary elections and caucuses in Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine and Nebraska.
1:16 p.m. – Clinton’s solid Super Tuesday has widened her delegate lead over Bernie Sanders.
She is assured of winning at least 457 of the 865 delegates at stake for the night. Sanders will gain at least 286. There are 122 delegates that remain to be allocated, depending on the margin of victory in several states and congressional districts.
Going into Super Tuesday, Clinton had held a 26-delegate advantage based on wins from primaries and caucuses.
Her delegate lead is actually much bigger when including superdelegates.
When including those party leaders, Clinton has at least 1,005 delegates. Sanders has at least 373. It takes 2,383 delegates to win the nomination.
1:08 a.m. – Trump added to his lead in the race for delegates on Super Tuesday. But his gains were muted because every state awarded delegates in proportion to the vote, so even candidates who lost still collected delegates.
Trump won at least 192 delegates in Tuesday’s contests. Ted Cruz collected at least 132 delegates and Marco Rubio picked up at least 66.
John Kasich won at least 19 delegates and Ben Carson won at least three.
There were 595 Republican delegates at stake in 11 states. There were still 183 delegates left to be allocated.
Overall, Trump leads with 274 delegates. Cruz has 149, Rubio has 82, Kasich has 25 and Carson has eight.
It takes 1,237 delegates to win the Republican nomination for president.
12:15 a.m.– Trump has won the Republican presidential primary in Vermont, claiming his latest victory in the string of nomination contests known as Super Tuesday.
His win in Vermont places him well-ahead of his rivals who significantly trail him in delegates. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz won contests in Oklahoma and Texas Tuesday, and Sen. Marco Rubio scored his first win in Minnesota. Ohio Gov. John Kasich and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson have not won any of the races since the nomination contest began a month ago.
11:20 p.m. – Sanders has earned his latest win in the Super Tuesday nomination contest, this time in Minnesota.
The Vermont senator won the state’s caucuses, beating rival Hillary Clinton in his fourth win of the night.
He also won contests in Colorado, Oklahoma and his home state of Vermont.
11:15 p.m. – Rubio has won the Republican presidential caucuses in Minnesota, earning his first victory in the 2016 race for the White House.
Rubio won second place in Nevada and South Carolina but still trails rivals Donald Trump and fellow Sen. Ted Cruz in the much-needed delegates needed to win his party’s nomination.
But Rubio has won overwhelming support from members of Congress and governors who see him as the most viable alternative to the billionaire businessman, who holds a commanding lead in delegates a month into the contest.
9:16 p.m. – Rubio, speaking at a Super Tuesday rally at his hometown in Miami, is criticizing the night’s big winner among Republicans: Donald Trump.
Rubio said that over the last five days he has begun “to unmask the true nature” of Trump, whom he called a “con artist.”
He said his recent attacks on Trump have given his campaign momentum and said that Trump did not represent the legacy of the “party of Reagan.”
Rubio has yet to win a state, but his upbeat speech was full of promises to continue fighting and vowing to win his home state of Florida later this month.
9:05 p.m. – Cruz has won another Republican primary – this time in Oklahoma.
Cruz topped his rivals in Oklahoma, having just won in his home state of Texas.
Republican front-runner Donald Trump has already won the Republican races in Georgia, Virginia, Alabama, Massachusetts and Tennessee.
9:02 p.m. – Clinton, triumphant in several states on during a string of primaries known as Super Tuesday, turned her attention during her victory rally toward her possible Republican opponents.
Clinton decried the GOP for “turning its back” on America’s working and middle class citizens. She criticized what she called the angry, divisive rhetoric from the Republican front-runner, Donald Trump, though she did not name him.
Clinton has opened up a commanding lead in delegates thanks in part to her wins Tuesday in Georgia, Virginia, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas.
She also congratulated Bernie Sanders for competing hard in several states. He captured Vermont.
8:50 p.m. – It’s a win for Clinton in American Samoa.
The South Pacific island chain held its caucus Tuesday.
Clinton won 73 percent of 223 votes cast to earn four of the six delegates at stake. Bernie Sanders picked up two delegates.
American Samoa is one of five U.S. territories that cast votes in primaries and caucuses to decide the Democratic presidential nominee, even though those residents aren’t eligible to vote in the November general election.
The island chain has a population of 54,000 and is about a six hour flight from Hawaii.
8:32 p.m. – John Kasich is thanking supporters at a Super Tuesday rally In Mississippi.
Kasich has been trying to build off his surprising second place finish in the New Hampshire primary last month.
He has yet to win any states. His speech Tuesday was full of family remembrances and tributes to his supporters but very little discussion of the night’s results.
8:01 p.m. – Trump and Clinton have won the presidential primaries in Alabama.
Trump has also finished on top in the Republican primary in Massachusetts.
Trump and Clinton have also won their party primaries in Tennessee.
7:50 p.m. – Josh Marshall of TPM: At the risk of stating the obvious, winning Virginia would be huge for Rubio. That is mainly a commentary on just how incredibly low expectations are for Rubio, and how much establishment Republicans are lowering the bar. But for all that, it’s still a very big deal. … Normally, with the kind of sweeping win Trump seems on the way to tonight, the race would essentially be over. That is because the party establishment will almost always rally around the person who has created a clear and highly likely road to the nomination. The party has an interest in rapping the battle up as soon as possible, regardless of who it is. But that’s the one thing that is the most different about this cycle on the Republican side. Trump is basically locking up the race. But the establishment – elected officials, major donors and other party stakeholders – will not be reconciled. And that makes it plausible to hold on, stay in the race, in a numerical situation where it normally wouldn’t be credible.
7:36 p.m. – @jacobkornbluh: Rubio currently leading Trump by 200 votes in Virginia
7:19 p.m. – The top quality voters in both Virginia and Georgia are looking for in a candidate is experience, according to early results of the exit poll conducted by Edison Research for the Associated Press and Television Networks.
Clinton won both states. She drew support from a large majority of those who cared most about a candidate who can win in November.
Among those who said they cared most about a candidate being honest and trustworthy, most in both states supported Sanders. A majority of those who said their top quality in a candidate was caring about people like them supported Sanders in Virginia, but that group was slightly more likely to support Clinton in Georgia.
Six in 10 Virginia Democratic primary voters said Clinton is honest and trustworthy, and three-quarters said the same of Sanders.
7:09 p.m. – Tweetage – @ShaneGoldmacher: Important: Georgia exits have both Cruz and Rubio above the 20% delegate threshold
7:01 p.m. – Clinton wins the Democratic presidential primaries in Virginia and Georgia, while Sanders wins in his home state of Vermont.
According to early results of the exit poll conducted by Edison Research for the Associated Press and Television Networks, Clinton led in both Virginia and Georgia among both men and women. Sanders led among voters under 30 and Clinton held a commanding lead among those 45 and over.
In Vermont, Bernie Sanders was supported by overwhelming majorities of both men and women, and huge majorities of voters across all age groups. Half of Vermont Democrats said they want the next president’s policies to be more liberal than those of President Barack Obama.
7:00 p.m. – MSNBC has called Georgia for Trump.
6:57 p.m. – Tweetage – @sahilkapur: Solution for the RNC: If Rubio wins Minnesota, change the rules to retroactively make it worth 1,200 delegates, winner take all.
6:45 p.m. – Rubio bundles up for dismal Super Tuesday: Anna Palmer of POLITICO reports that Rubio’s top campaign adviser met with key supporters and preparation for a long, difficult Super Tuesday evening, laying out what might be next for the Florida senator. Terry Sullivan told the group of roughly 40 bundlers and K Streeters that one likely scenario gives Rubio about 100 delegates in Super Tuesday contests. Sullivan’s detailed PowerPoint presentation talked about various delegate counts for March, April and May, claiming it was “mathematically impossible” for GOP front-runner Trump to get the 1,237 delegate votes necessary by April. Henry Barbour, the veteran Mississippi political operative, would lead Rubio’s convention delegate strategy. Palmer writes that several people knowledgeable of the meeting called it an “exercise in lowering expectations.” “The pressure is going to be so great in April and May,” one bundler told POLITICO. “And they feel like they are committed to working in the trenches.”
6:00 p.m. – Trump is keeping up his criticism on his closest Republican rivals in the hours before the first Super Tuesday polls close.
Trump, in Kentucky, said Tuesday that March Rubio was “a total lightweight” while Ted Cruz is “a basket case” and “a liar.” However, he held his fire on Ben Carson, calling him a “nice guy” and he didn’t provide any descriptions for John Kasich.
He said his dealing powers would force companies to keep jobs in America and coerce countries to release American prisoners.
The Louisville crowd cheered when Trump spotted a sign in the crowd and asked it to be fetched for him. He held up the sign – which read “Hispanics 4 Trump” – and waved it around, mouthing “thank you” toward the audience.
5:20 p.m. – Large majorities of Republican primary voters across nine states have negative feelings toward the federal government.
But whether they’re more dissatisfied or more angry varies by state.
According to early results of exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks by Edison Research, at least 8 in 10 GOP primary voters in each state feel down on the way the federal government is working.
The dissatisfied outnumbered the angry and accounted for a half or more of Republican voters in Virginia, Vermont and Massachusetts.
In Texas, half of GOP primary voters said they were angry.
In Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma and Tennessee, GOP voters were more evenly split between dissatisfaction and anger.
5:20 p.m. – White voters accounted for half of voters or less in three of nine Democratic primaries where exit polls were conducted on Super Tuesday.
According to early results of exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks, nearly half of Democratic primary voters in Alabama and Georgia were black.
In Texas, about 3 in 10 Democratic primary voters were Hispanic and a little under 2 in 10 were black.
In three other states, black voters accounted for about a quarter of Democratic primary voters. They are Virginia, Arkansas and Tennessee.
5:15 p.m. – Large majorities of Republican primary voters in six states going to the polls on Super Tuesday said they support a proposal to temporarily ban all non-citizen Muslims from entering the United States.
Early results of exit polls conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks show two-thirds of GOP primary voters in Texas, Virginia and Georgia, 7 in 10 in Tennessee, and nearly 8 in 10 in Alabama support the proposal championed by Trump.
But Republican voters were more divided on another major immigration issue, whether to deport immigrants already in the country illegally or allow them to stay.
In just one of the seven states where the question was asked, Alabama, did a majority of Republicans support deportation. In two states, Virginia and Georgia, those who preferred legal status outnumbered those supporting deportation.
5:00 p.m. – Rubio is ceremonially launching his campaign for the must-win primary in Florida, where Trump sits comfortably ahead.
The Florida senator is telling reporters in Minnesota that he is looking ahead to the March 15 contest in his home state because he will have “a lot of delegates” after Super Tuesday balloting in 11 states holding Republican contests, even if he doesn’t win any states. And he’s predicting that the competition will become so fierce that it will become clear that Trump “has no chance” of ever winning enough delegates to capture the GOP presidential nomination.
Rubio also is setting high expectations for Ted Cruz’s Super Tuesday finish. Cruz is doing well but not likely to win all 155 delegates offered by the contest in his home state of Texas.
Rubio says, “Tonight was supposed to be Ted Cruz’s big night.”
3:55 p.m. – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is blasting Trump’s “seeming ambivalence about David Duke and the KKK,” joining House Speaker Paul Ryan‘s earlier call for the GOP presidential candidates to reject racism.
The two highest-ranking leaders of Congress spoke as voters in 11 states holding GOP contests went to the polls for the Super Tuesday contests. They never said Trump’s name, but clearly were referring to a weekend interview on CNN in which Trump refused to denounce the former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard or racist groups. Trump had disavowed them and did so again after facing criticism for wobbling. But the leaders of his party on Tuesday suggested that wasn’t enough.
Ryan, the nation’s highest-ranking Republican government official, earlier Tuesday said anyone who wants to be the Republican presidential nominee must reject any racist group or individual.
McConnell went next, saying, “Senate Republicans condemn David Duke, the KKK, and his racism.”
Republicans are defending their congressional majorities in the November elections.
2:35 p.m. – A midlevel New York court has refused to throw out a fraud lawsuit against Donald Trump over his former school for real estate investors.
The Appellate Division on Tuesday unanimously rejected Trump’s request to dismiss the 2013 suit.
The four justices also denied New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s request for an immediate judgment, saying there are material issues of fact.
Schneiderman alleges Trump University was unlicensed and promised lessons with real estate experts hand-picked by Trump, only one of whom had ever met him.
He says the school used “bait-and-switch” tactics. Its name was changed to the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative before it closed in 2010.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
Trump’s presidential opponents attacked him over the litigation during Thursday’s GOP debate. The ruling comes as Super Tuesday primary voters head to the polls.
2:20 p.m. – Rubio is reminding an audience in Minnesota about what can happen when voters angry with the political establishment elect an outspoken celebrity.
In a ballroom in a northern Minneapolis suburb, Rubio asks, “How did that work out for Jesse Ventura?”
Rubio is referring to a flamboyant former professional wrestler elected governor of Minnesota for one term from 1999 to 2003.
Minnesota holds caucuses for the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday evening. Rubio is trying to catch Trump who leads in many of the 11 Super Tuesday states, and has taken to painting Trump as an unprincipled celebrity charlatan.
Rubio says: “Jesse Ventura was an embarrassment. Let me rephrase that. Jesse Ventura is an embarrassment.”
Rubio is in Minnesota for the quick rally after blitzing over the past four days Southern states holding Super Tuesday primaries today.
He was in Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas and Oklahoma Monday alone, making five stops and nearly losing his voice.
Rubio was planning to fly from Minnesota to his home in Miami Tuesday to await the results of voting in the 11 states holding primaries.
1:51 p.m. – Tweetage: @LearyReports: .@marcorubio, bracing for a tough night, seeks to assure supporters.
1:30 p.m. – Judgment day for Cruz: POLITICO’s Katie Glueck writes: “Since the very beginning, the Cruz campaign has seen a strong Super Tuesday—when 595 delegates will be awarded—as the critical, defining moment in the effort to emerge as the consensus conservative choice. It’s the day Cruz has said will be an ‘amazing’ one for his team, the day his campaign has described to potential donors as the one that will demonstrate this campaign, unlike every other conservative insurgent campaign in recent memory, is built to last in a long nomination fight.”
But Glueck notes that Cruz is walking into March 1 “on his heels.” After a spectacular failure in South Carolina, his first real test in the South, the Texas senator rolls into his home state on the defensive.
“And if polls are to be believed,” she continues, “he could lose it all Tuesday to Donald Trump — a man his political and personal opposite in almost every relevant way, yet one who has still managed to commandeer a significant slice of the anti-Washington conservative base Cruz long banked on.”
1:17 p.m. – The New Hampshire newspaper that gave Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey one of his biggest boosts ahead of the state’s primary now says it made a grave mistake.
New Hampshire Union Leader Publisher Joseph McQuaid says in an editorial, “Boy, were we wrong.”
The editorial published online Monday night comes after Christie, who ended his bid after a disappointing finish in the state, threw his support behind Donald Trump, shocking many in the political word.
McQuaid says the paper offered its Christie endorsement “despite his baggage,” because of his experience as a Republican governor in a Democratic state and thinking he had the best chance of taking on Trump.
He adds, “Rather than standing up to the bully, Christie bent his knee. In doing so, he rejected the very principles of his campaign that attracted our support.”
1 p.m. – Don’t mess with Texas: The Lone Star State appears to be the Super Tuesday linchpin, writes Philip Bump of The Washington Post, despite intentions of the 11 state multiprimary to give smaller states a bigger say in the presidential nominating process. “Arkansas and Minnesota are the remoras on the shark that is Texas, the hangers-on as the attention goes to the big state,” Bump says. “This is a bit unfair — Texas is five times the size of Minnesota but has only four times as many delegates — but it’s to be expected.” What happens in Texas will be considered a bellwether for what happens next in primary season. Cruz, with home-field advantage, is favored to win; yet the delegate math in Texas could leave him with fewer delegates, something he desperately needs.
12:42 p.m. – Bump crunches the numbers: “If Cruz gets 37.2 percent and Trump 28.2 percent — where they are in the polling average — Cruz would get 26 at-large delegates to Trump’s 18. If Cruz gets 39.7 percent to Trump’s 25.7 (a 14-point gap), Cruz would get 27 to Trump’s 17. If Cruz gets 34.7 to Trump’s 30.7 (a four-point gap), Cruz gets 24 to Trump’s 20.” Context is key here, and the proportionate distribution of delegates occurs in each of Texas’ 36 congressional districts, with three delegates each. The bottom line? Complicated math means Cruz will not come out of Texas with as large a delegate advantage, but it will give an indication of how a Trump-Cruz battle will play on the “most favorable possible ground for Cruz.”
12:15 p.m. – “The best political reporters in each of the 11 super Tuesday states” via Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post – Every year (or so), Cillizza puts together a list of the best political reporters in each of the 50 states, provided by readers and his “own judgment.” The full list can be found at WashingtonPost.com.
12:05 p.m. – Trump says Rubio should drop out of the race if he doesn’t win a single Super Tuesday state on Tuesday night.
Trump says on Fox News, “He has to get out. He hasn’t won anything.”
The GOP presidential frontrunner also is hitting Rubio for his sudden turn to negative campaigning.
While Trump is looking to rack up a long list of wins on Tuesday, Rubio’s goal is more modest.
9:15 a.m. – Rubio’s Virginia strategy: Of the 11 states participating in Super Tuesday, the National Journal reports that Rubio’s chances of success seem best in Virginia, thanks to – in large part – the state’s northern suburbs, “one of the fastest-growing, wealthiest, and best educated areas in the country.” It is the exact voting bloc the Florida senator has been targeting in his campaign, and also the group of voters Rubio desperately needs if he has any chance of overtaking Trump.
8:02 a.m. – Rubio this morning is sharing this video with his supporters
MONDAY
11:00 p.m. – A small but well-coordinated cadre of protesters has kept Cruz from getting a hometown welcome in Houston.
The Texas senator was addressing more than 1,000 people at a Houston Baptist University rally late Monday when he was interrupted repeatedly by demonstrators chanting, “Cruz, bad for Texas, bad for the country.”
Cruz, who hails from Houston, at first laughed it off. He said, “It’s nice to know three Bernie Sanders supporters got lost.”
After more outbursts, Cruz’s tone harshened. He derided the protesters as spoiled children, adding, “You have the right to speak, but you don’t have the right to interrupt others.”
Amid the third major disruption, the crowd booed. As police escorted the protesters out, Cruz said, “If it hurts your ears, go hide at a Bernie Sanders rally.”
8:00 p.m. – New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says his endorsement of Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump was not part of a bargain to secure a potential Cabinet position.
Christie, speaking on a regular radio call-in show in New Jersey on Monday, declined to discuss whether he would consider a vice presidential or Cabinet position.
In response to questions about disagreeing with Trump during the campaign, Christie pointed to George H.W. Bush calling Ronald Reagan’s policies “voodoo economics” before becoming vice president, as well as Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign trail disagreements with President Barack Obama before becoming his running mate.
Christie says even though he disagrees with Trump on some issues, he agrees with him on tax and job-creation issues.
Christie announced his support of Trump on Friday at a campaign even in Fort Worth, Texas.
7:40 p.m. – Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke says the uproar over his support of Trump is an example of efforts by the media to smear the Republican presidential front-runner.
Duke is also rejecting reports that he gave Trump his “endorsement,” saying he simply told people “they should vote for him.” He says, “Voting is not a question of endorsing someone.”
Duke told Fox News Radio on Monday that he approves of Trump because “he made the point that massive immigration will destroy America.”
Trump was criticized by opponents over the weekend for declining to disavow Duke’s support during a TV interview. On Monday, Trump said he hadn’t heard the question clearly.
Duke says he left the KKK 40 years ago and has “never embraced the term ‘white supremacist.'”
7:35 p.m. – Trump is vowing to restore Christian “power” on the eve of Super Tuesday’s primary contests.
Speaking in front of thousands at a rally in Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday evening, Trump repeated his often-mentioned assertion that Christianity is “under siege” and vowed to restore its power by working to repeal rules that limit the political activity of religious groups and other tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations.
Trump says that, “As a political bloc,” Christians should be “bigger than women” and “bigger than men.” But instead, he says, “we get pushed around.”
“You have such power, but you guys are all afraid to use your power,” he says, adding, “They’re afraid to go out and fight for Christianity in the true sense of the form.”
Trump says that, if he’s elected, “we are going to work like hell to get rid of that legislation so that you can have your power back.”
6:37 p.m. – Trump is receiving the backing of some big names in NASCAR on the eve of tomorrow’s Super Tuesday contests.
Trump kicked off a rally in Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday evening with appearances by NASCAR chief executive Brian France and several current and former drivers.
The drivers include two-time Daytona 500 champion Bill Elliott and his son, Chase Elliott, whom Trump described as “the hottest young driver in the world.”
NASCAR disavowed Trump last summer after he kicked off his campaign with a speech in which he referred to immigrants from Mexico as rapists and drug dealers. The sport pulled its events from Trump’s Doral hotel and resort in Miami.
6:00 p.m. – Gov. Charlie Baker is ruling out voting for Trump in the Massachusetts Republican primary Tuesday, saying “he’s not my guy and he’s not my candidate.”
Baker on Monday wouldn’t reveal his candidate, but he suggested he was choosing between Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
Baker has been sharply critical of Trump, saying previously it was highly unlikely he would vote for Trump in the primary.
Polls show Trump leading in Massachusetts ahead of Super Tuesday.
Baker wouldn’t say whether he would support Trump if the New York billionaire emerged as the party’s nominee. Baker says he isn’t willing to concede the nomination at this point.
5:35 p.m. – Melania Trump says her husband heard from her after he repeated a particular profanity at a rally in New Hampshire.
Donald Trump’s wife tells CNN that when a woman yelled out the word, Mrs. Trump was thinking at her husband, “Don’t repeat it.” She said she felt that if he did, the next day in the media, “all they will talk about is that.”
She recalls that he repeated it because “he goes with the flow, he goes with the people” and the crowd was cheering. But, she adds, “that was not his word.”
4:22 p.m. – Rubio’s is throwing fresh jabs at Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, inviting the crowd to “have a little fun.”
Rubio is shifting from policy to personal attacks on Trump , mocking everything from the billionaire businessman’s tan to subtle questions about his manhood. He even implied that Trump wet his pants during a recent debate.
Crowds across the South appear receptive to the junior senator’s change in tone, exploding into cheers and laughter at the digs. But individually, many voters sheepishly smile and acknowledge that the turn is unfortunate but necessary for anyone to take down Trump.
Come what may for Rubio, his attacks on Trump, the favorite in most of this week’s Super Tuesday polls, exposes a deeply-root antipathy for Trump among a segment of the Republican electorate.
3:45 p.m. – A Secret Service agent and a news media photographer got into a verbal and physical altercation at a raucous Donald Trump presidential campaign rally riddled with protests Monday in Virginia.
Chris Morris, the photographer, was escorted out of the tense rally amid an anti-Trump protest, and detained before being released. The Secret Service says it is investigating “the exact circumstances.” The agent has not been identified.
Videos of the incident taken by reporters and attendees show Morris attempting to secure a better position to photograph some of the many protesters kicked out of Trump’s Radford event. Rebuffed by the agent, Morris is heard cursing at the agent, who then grabs Morris and takes him to the ground.
Seconds later, Morris touched the agent to demonstrate his version of what happened. He was then escorted out. Trump’s campaign says it is not aware of all the details surrounding the incident.
3:30 p.m. – Gov. Chris Christie does not want to talk about the presidential race. At least, not at his first press conference since dropping out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination and endorsing Donald Trump.
The New Jersey governor wanted to discuss his nomination of a state Supreme Court judge – and did. But over and over again he refused to discuss the presidential race, Donald Trump or anything else “off topic.” Not even when a reporter asked permission to bring up another subject.
Christie snapped, “Permission denied.”
Another reporter asked why did didn’t want to discuss the presidential race.
Christie answered: “Because I don’t want to.”
Christie has come under intense fire from some of his former allies for endorsing Trump. He has said Trump is the GOP’s best chance to win the 2016 presidential race.
12:55 p.m. – Trump is mocking one of many protesters in Radford, Va. who interrupted the billionaire’s rant about illegal immigration and Mexico.
The protester shouted, and Trump said from the stage, “Are you from Mexico?”
Several minutes of shouting and booing ensued. The protester was removed.
Trump shouted, “Is it fun being at a Trump rally?”
The crowd hooted and Trump briefly quieted them. Then he looked in front of the stage and asked a woman, “You have a problem? Get her out.”
That protester was removed, too.
Trump added, “Believe it or not, we’re going to unify this country.”
He again tried to deliver the punchline to a story but was interrupted.
“You got another one over there? All right, get out.”
12:29 p.m. – Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura says he’s split between backing Sanders and Trump.
It may seem like an odd choice between candidates at opposite ends of the political spectrum. But Ventura told The Associated Press on Monday that he sees echoes of his own underdog win for governor in 1998 in their campaigns. Ventura earned a spot in Minnesota’s political history books by winning the state’s highest office as a member of the Reform Party, a third-party organization later renamed the Independence Party of Minnesota.
But the former professional wrestler says it all comes down to the influence of money in politics. Ventura says he disagrees with some of Trump’s platform, namely on foreign policy and immigration, but he appreciates the New York businessman’s self-funded campaign, as well as Sanders’ stance on accepting contributions.
Ventura said he won’t make an official endorsement because he doesn’t belong to either party. Plus, he said he’s still mulling his own presidential run as a third-party Libertarian candidate.
11:50 a.m. – Trump is the star of a Democratic ad in the Arizona Senate race.
“Donald Trump is dangerous for America,” says the commercial by Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who is challenging longtime GOP Sen. John McCain.
The ad highlights Trump’s more incendiary statements, his use of profanity and his questioning of McCain’s Vietnam War hero status. The commercial questions how McCain could say he would support Trump if he were the Republican presidential nominee.
The ad says, “there was a time where country mattered more than his political party, but 30 years in Washington has changed John McCain.”
Lorna Romero, a spokeswoman for the McCain campaign, is responding by saying the ad is “a cheap, pathetic display” and challenged Kirkpatrick to “explain her longstanding support for (President) Obama’s radical, liberal agenda.”
11:05 a.m. – Rubio is picking up Monday where he left off, dogging Republican presidential front runner Donald Trump for not disavowing Sunday a white supremacist and the Ku Klux Klan.
Rubio says Trump’s decision not to denounce the public support of former KKK leader David Duke disqualifies him from the nomination from “the party of Lincoln.”
Trump has said he did not hear or understand the question Sunday on CNN when he was asked about Duke and the KKK. He did disavow Duke’s comments earlier.
Rubio shot back Monday that no matter how bad the earpiece, “‘Ku Klux Klan’ comes through pretty clearly.”
The audience responds to Rubio’s attacks with chants of “Dump Trump, dump Trump!”
Rubio trails Trump in polls of Republican voters in Tennessee.
12:10 p.m. – Kasich out?: With increasing pressure to leave the race, Thomas Kaplan of The New York Times reports that Kasich could leave the race if he doesn’t win in his home state of Ohio. “I will beat Donald Trump in Ohio, and that will be the beginning of a new day,” Kasich said at a Nashville town hall. “Some of the other candidates, if they can’t win their home state, they got to get out, OK?” he added “If I don’t win my home state, I’ll get out. But you know what? I’m going to win Ohio.”
11:40 a.m. – Turning up the heat: Cruz, who is facing sagging poll numbers in the final day before Super Tuesday, ramped up his criticism of front-runner Trump, reports Robert Costa of the Washington Post. At an Atlanta rally, Cruz warned Republicans that Trump was unfit and unprepared to take on Democrat Hillary Clinton in a general election. “If we nominate Donald, we end up electing Hillary as president,” Cruz said. “I don’t think it makes sense to nominate a candidate who has agreed with Hillary on issue after issue.”
10:51 a.m. – Super Tuesday breakdown: Kyle Cheney of POLITICO breaks down the Republican Super Tuesday map. “The best-case scenario for Trump would put him far ahead of his rivals in the race for delegates,” Cheney writes. “But even if he stumbles, Trump will leave Super Tuesday with enough delegates to remain at the front of the race.” Rubio, Cruz, Kasich and Carson do not have that luxury. Rubio is showing some momentum, but Cheney notes that a weak finish this week would cripple his campaign ahead of his must-win Florida primary. Cruz is banking on support from conservatives, despite polling that shows Trump with solid leads. Kasich is holding until Ohio. However, a loss in his home state could permanently sideline his position as a national candidate. All told, about 600 delegates will be available on Tuesday, a quarter of all delegates. Cheney notes that even as party rules require dividing the delegates proportionately, minimum thresholds could prove difficult for both Rubio and Cruz. One (or more) campaigns could see the end of the road Tuesday, he writes.
10:50 a.m. – Clinton is casting herself as a civil alternative to the insults, bullying, and personal attacks that have consumed the Republican race.
“What we can’t let happen is the scapegoating, the flaming, the finger pointing that is going on the Republican side,” she told voters gathered in Springfield, Massachusetts on Monday morning. “It really undermines our fabric as a nation. So, I want to do everything I can in this campaign to set us on a different course.”
She made almost no mention of her primary rival, underscoring how her political fortunes have shifted since her 22-point loss in New Hampshire earlier this month.
9:40 a.m. – The strategy for second place: Rubio’s suburban strategy is that he doesn’t have to win outright on Super Tuesday to stay in the game, writes Eli Stokols and Anna Palmer of POLITICO. “With polls showing Trump likely to win Georgia and Virginia overall, Rubio’s Super Tuesday survival strategy centers on targeting these suburban and exurban congressional districts to reach the educated 30- and 40-somethings whose practical, economic conservatism aligns with the Florida senator’s own aspirational brand.” … “You need 1,237 delegates to win,” Rubio adviser Todd Harris told POLITICO. “As long as we are picking up delegates, we’re in the fight.” Rubio had success in South Carolina with a similar suburban approach.
8:15 a.m. – Survey says: A new series of Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist polls give Trump the lead in Georgia and Tennessee, Cruz in Texas, and Clinton a large advantage over Sanders in all three states. Three separate CBS News polls have Trump leading the Republican pack in Georgia and Virginia, with Cruz ahead of Trump 42-31 percent in Texas. In that survey, Clinton also leads Sanders in all three states. Further polling from Suffolk University shows Clinton leading Sanders in Massachusetts 50 to 42 percent. With Republicans, Trump leads with 43 percent.
7:30 a.m. – Trump is stepping back from comments he made over the weekend when he claimed to know nothing about former Klu Klux Klan leader David Duke, saying that he couldn’t hear the questions clearly.
Trump was asked Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” whether he rejected support for his presidential campaign from the former KKK Grand Dragon and other white supremacists after Duke.
“Well, just so you understand, I don’t know anything about David Duke. OK?” Trump told host Jake Tapper.
On Monday, however, he told NBC’s “Today” that he was given a “very bad earpiece” for the interview and that he “disavowed David Duke all weekend long on Facebook and on Twitter.”
Material from the Associated Press was used in this post.
