Marco Rubio Fights For Florida
Marco Rubio continued his fight to win tomorrow’s Florida primary against real estate tycoon Donald Trump.
As CNN reported, Rubio made recent appearances in Hialeah and West Palm Beach, making the case that he represents the best chance to win Florida’s 99 delegates.
“I am focused on one thing right now, and that is winning the state of Florida, and then moving on in my campaign.”
Marco Rubio is also appealing to supporters of other GOP primary contenders to cross over and vote for him.
“A vote for Ted Cruz or a vote for John Kasich [in Florida’s primary] is a vote for Donald Trump. Any vote that doesn’t go to me in essence is helping Donald Trump to win.”
What’s At Stake for Rubio?
Complicating matters for Rubio is that Florida’s is a winner-take-all primary. This means that the victor will win all of the delagates, regardless whether the runner-up loses by just a few hundred votes, or by double digits.
By contrast, Marco Rubio finished second in the March 1 Virginia primary with 31.9 percent of the vote, while Trump garnered 34.7 percent. But because of the way Virginia holds its primary, Trump took home 17 of that state’s delegates, and Rubio 16.
Which makes Florida’s primary that much more important to Marco Rubio. Speculation is that if he loses in Florida, Rubio will drop out.
Recent polls show Trump leading Rubio there. However, those leads fluctuate from six points and 24 points.
Trump currently leads the field with 460 delegates, followed by 370 for Cruz and 163 for Rubio. Ohio governor John Kasich has 63.
Rubio Helping Kasich In Ohio
On March 11, the Washington Post reported that Rubio is urging his supporters in Ohio to support Kasich–which the Post described “as an unusual tactic that comes as Rubio is trying to rally the anti-Trump vote in Florida behind his candidacy and which could complicate Trump’s path to the nomination.”
Given the current delegate count, Rubio’s strategy at this juncture seems clear: keep Trump from getting the 1,237 delegates needed to win GOP nomination.
“Clearly John Kasich has a better chance of winning Ohio than I do, and I think if a voter in Ohio concludes that voting for John Kasich gives us the best chance to stop Donald Trump there, I anticipate that’s what they will do.”
Ohio’s primary is also winner-take-all, with 66 delegates at stake.
Also voting tomorrow, on what has been called “Super Tuesday Two,” are North Carolina, Missouri, Illinois, and the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory. All told, there are 361 delegates at stake. Rubio polls far behind his opponents there.
Rubio Voices Concerns Over Violence At Trump Rallies
Rubio voiced his concerns at a press conference on Saturday.
“I get it. People are frustrated at the direction of our country. But leaders cannot say whatever they want, because words have consequences. They lead to actions that others take. And when the person you’re supporting for president is going around saying things like, ‘Go ahead, slap him around, and I’ll pay your legal fees,’ what do you think is going to happen next?”
People are frustrated. But leaders cannot say whatever they want, because words have consequences. https://t.co/8xvBimPI2c
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 14, 2016
At the most recent Fox News primary debate on March 3, the candidates were asked if they would support Trump if he were the eventual nominee. All said they would, including Rubio.
But when asked about this at his March 12 press conference, Marco Rubio replied, “I still at this moment continue to intend to support the Republican nominee, but it’s getting harder every day.”
[Photo by Gerald Herbert/AP Images]
