Donald J. Trump, Republican Nominee for President of the United States (l) and Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (r) {photo: Slate.com}
Texas U.S. Senator and 2016 presidential candidate, Ted Cruz, made the correct choice this Friday, in announcing he will be voting for Republican Nominee Donald J. Trump to be our country’s next President of the United States.
Cruz cited the two main reasons based on six vital issues in his statement as to why he’ll be voting for Trump on November 8th, is because, one, he wanted to keep his promise that he made during the original debate with his colleagues over a year ago, that he will support whoever is the nominee, and two, because Trump will sign legislation from Congress, if Republicans still hold the majority, to get rid of Obamacare, the Affordable Health Care Act that has affected millions of Americans negatively.
The other four issues Cruz felt could not be managed without harm to our country, were energy, immigration, national security and the freedom of the Internet. He also stressed the importance of the Supreme Court and the importance of appointing Judges who will uphold the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
The mainstream media’s talking points are choosing the go to print headline word, “stunning,” in terms of his decision.
Not so, in that it is the right decision, both as a Republican who truly supports his Party and the forthcoming agenda, as well as the many voters from all across the country, who want to “make America great again,” as Trump’s campaign slogan declares. Cruz, is an impressive man and U.S. Senator who should not be left on the sidelines, if Trump takes the White House this November.
Cruz, well known for his educational achievements, earned two Ivy League college degrees. With a major in public policy, he graduated cum laude from Princeton University, and went on to earn a degree from Harvard Law School. Renowned for his debating skills, where he excelled at Princeton and Harvard on a national level, he is both admired and loathed for being too smart for the room among his Senate colleagues today.
As a child born to an American mother and Cuban father, he was raised for a few years in Canada before moving to Texas. He attended private schools before going on to higher education. After earning his juris doctor degree from Harvard, he went on to serve as a law clerk, notably for Chief Justice of the United States, William Rehnquist. Cruz then worked for a law firm that dealt with the NRA (National Rifle Association) and in preparing testimony needed for democrat President William J. Clinton’s impeachment.
Perceivably, a difficult thing for Ted Cruz today, in stating he would be voting for his party nominee on Election Day, Donald J. Trump, other than the well-known barbs exchanged between the two competing candidates since debates began in latter 2015, must be the fact he worked on George W. Bush’s Presidential campaign in 1999. The majority of the Bush family have publicly declared they will not be supporting Trump on Election Day, and will be voting for Democrat Hillary Clinton, who many perceive as the worst Presidential candidate and nominee in our country’s history. {Editor’s note: more on this later}
The pressure from the Bush family must have been applied to Cruz, to not say anything publicly positive all the way until Election Day about his rival, who he came second to after the primaries by a large margin.
The Bush’s own namesake, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who also was a candidate for the presidential nomination this election year, dropped out early with only a handful of delegates, despite having the largest purse on hand in terms of fundraising, due to his family’s influence.
For Ted Cruz to make this proclamation today that he would be supporting Donald Trump and casting his vote for him on November 8th, shows he is many things.
A true Republican, who puts his Party before bitter losses or business-as-usual safety; a true Patriot, who as an incredibly intelligent man, sees the future of our country and how badly it would fail, and continue to fail, with a Clinton and former Obama administration, economically, domestically and internationally; A true gentleman, who perhaps acknowledges today however hard fought, and with whatever choices of words were used to win the nomination, positive or negative, Trump won with many odds against him; and a true visionary, who understands his place in politics is very needed.
Under a Trump administration, Senator Cruz can be appointed to many things where he will continue his long career as a valiant statesman, that defines his importance and career even more.
Trump’s Vice Presidential nominee, Indiana’s Governor Mike Pence, played a role in Cruz announcing his support for Trump. Pence and Cruz exchanged multiple messages, spoke at length over the phone and then again in person, when Pence visited Capitol Hill a few weeks ago, a source close to Pence said.
Donald Trump had this to say about his fellow Republican’s support:
“I am greatly honored by the endorsement of Senator Cruz,” Trump said in a statement obtained by CNN. “We have fought the battle and he was a tough and brilliant opponent. I look forward to working with him for many years to come in order to make America great again.”
Update: “Indiana Governor Mike Pence, with no baggage behind him, is considered a safe choice who will appeal to social conservatives.”
There are many variables as to who a presidential candidate should pick for their Vice President on their ticket for the highest office in America. High paid campaign managers, political directors and analysts all spend hours/days/weeks determining just what the right fitting puzzle piece is to make sure they win on Election Day. Discussion over fine dinners and cocktails for those who imbibe, with rolled up sleeves on expensive dress shirts, and high heels eventually dropped to the floor, campaign staff will argue whether a gender, race, heritage, religion or political disposition will make the difference as to how voters decide to fill in their ballots.
Historically, that choice has rarely made a difference. This hotly contested election year may be different. With two candidates who can be considered as polarizing in views that they represent the far left and right, maybe the Vice President choice could make a difference with voters. The heavily saddled democrat presumptive nominee, former First Lady/U.S. New York State Senator/Secretary of State, has zero following with republicans, naturally, little among independents, and even scores low with the moderate democrats within her own party.
Scandal after scandal has plagued her career from the beginning and continues to be front stage on the day of this post. A sad day for America, where five fine Dallas policeman were gunned down unexpectedly by a former enlisted soldier who said his choice to shoot police in the back with no warning was in retribution to the recent kills of two black men while being arrested, has taken the glaring spotlight off of the Hillary Clinton email scandal for now. This topic was being largely discussed and dissected the day before – not only on conservative talk radio or blogs, but even in some of the most liberally considered mainstream media publications such as the associated press, Reuters, the New York Times and cable’s CNN.
In the background for the moment, Mrs. Clinton’s email scandal is still simmering on the stove. There is no get out of jail free card, just yet. She may hide behind the skirts of FBI’s James B. Comey and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, but the holes that still exist in terms of the many damaging details in the story, allow further investigation into this serious national security breach, which shows at best, she is too incompetent and reckless to ever even potentially be conceived as President of the United States.
Further, more information will continue to expose how the preceding Secretary of State lied to the people, American citizens who she now asks for their vote to make her executive-in-chief; lied on the tarmac about some unknown video no one in terms of volume had seen that instigated this attack on the embassy in Libya; lied to the family of the people killed in Benghazi under her watch despite the numerous cries from Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Information Officer Sean Smith, and Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, who were both formerly Navy Seals, before being murdered; and has lied a multitude of times since her initial entry into politics from Washington to Arkansas.
Hillary Clinton at the Benghazi hearings {photo: Breitbart}
More notably at this time, she will also be under scrutiny for how the Clinton Foundation has received millions of dollars from questionable donors over the years, since her first failed attempt to win the nomination as the democrat candidate for President. It is presumed by analysts that she has received these donations by telling these VIP’s she will be the next President of the United States, and therefore, if they want to do business with her going forward, they’ll need to pay to play.
Mrs. Clinton, who claims to be an advocate for women on her campaign stump, might have to explain during the debates or to any media not in her pocket, how she makes this assertion, when she allegedly took part in destroying the many fancies of her husband’s personal life once discovered. The former President, William Jefferson Clinton, is an awkward spouse to have as someone who is seeking this esteemed office, however delusional but ambitious. Long before the famed sex scandal that involved his young intern, Monica Lewinsky, there was quite a list of women who allegedly claimed to have had affairs with the former President and had non-consensual sex with him.
His old ways according to news agencies, have not changed, and he allegedly has frequented a private island owned by Jeffrey Epstein, where reportedly underage prostitutes service any visitors seeking this activity. There is no actual proof of what the 42nd President did if and when he was on the island, or in the air on the private jet taking men to the Caribbean getaway, however. There are several accounts of these activities both in and out of the court rooms and many respectable publications for those inclined to form their own judgment.
For the many who don’t want to see Hillary Clinton ever elected, who wants to see her husband, if you will, as who knows how many years it was they last lived together as husband and wife, back in the White House, as well? One can’t even ponder the perspective scandals that would come from that potential situation. Good news for the tabloids, though, definitely, as the mainstream media will do their best to cover none of it.
Back to V.P. picks – any consultant could only objectively ask who would want to affiliate themselves with Hillary Clinton? It certainly doesn’t appear to be a foot up in one’s career. It would most likely be a tarnishing title that would lead one to ruin along with the upper tier they tied themselves to for whatever potential promotion.
The only other way to skew this as a democrat being considered by Clinton as the vice presidential nomination on her ticket, would be that in a larger scheme, as the continued scandals Clinton is involved with emerge, one could then assume office on default, or if Hillary once again remains above the law, and runs for a second term with even more public disgrace, the V.P. appears as the solution and not the problem – thus, a savior to a wart ridden POTUS to be schluffed off, and could oppose her for the presidential nomination and win.
For now, of course the man no one thought would have a chance since the day he announced, Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, has to have been promised something for him to sort of kind of endorse Clinton today, after basically humiliating her by winning so many states throughout the primaries, when he was supposed to not even show a beat in his pulse. Perhaps the pass given to her from FBI’s Comey the other day was what he finally needed to hear, before deciding to actually call it quits.
Massachusetts U.S. Senator, Elizabeth Warren, has also been said to have meetings with the former Secretary of State. Known to many as the woman who claimed to have a Native Indian Cherokee heritage, and reportedly has been found to have no such documented lineage, it’s now perceived she was actually related to the government soldiers who marched the Cherokee’s on the Trail of Tears from their homeland.
With polls today showing Trump gaining or tying Clinton in key states, her campaign will have to make an important choice to get this riddled candidate anywhere near electability beyond the female check mark on her paperwork.
As for Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican Party nominee, who certainly earned this status, but with the whisper campaign of overthrowing his nomination at the national convention in Ohio next week still at work, a few names are holding firm on the potential list of his VP choices:
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie {photo:freedomslighthouse}
New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, who assumed office in January 2010, and was appointed by President George W. Bush as the U.S. Attorney of the District of New Jersey in 2001, quickly became known for his brazen and outspoken style with the liberal media and their agenda, at each of his press conferences with his dismissal of their questions and forthright answers. Like Trump, he is a man who does not mince words, and makes it clear what his agenda for the future of America is as a true patriot.
For those who dismiss his party allegiance to a walk on the beach with current President Barack Obama, after Hurricane Sandy devastated much of the New Jersey shoreline and property, people should recognize he was truly concerned about his constituent’s losses, and thankful for any federal help he could bring them through his talks with Obama. This is a Governor’s job. If not Trump’s pick for Vice President, many believe Christie would be a great choice for U.S. Attorney General.
Former House Speaker and Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich
Fiftieth Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, for those who love him, he is intelligent, clever, learned, and experienced. For those who don’t, they see him as someone from the past whose previous associations with former administrations that won’t bring a new voice to the Trump ticket. Both are arguable. Voters should remember his record, in that he was the only House Leader to actually shut down the government, not once but twice, something conservatives and liberals always pine for and say is not done commonly enough in today’s politics. Time magazine voted him to be their choice for “Man of the Year” in 1995, for ending forty-years of democrat rule in the federal House. In 1998, he also passed the first balanced budget since 1969 and passed a capital gains tax cut.
“…the possession of great power necessarily implies great responsibility…” which was said in regards to the press, and the media still likes to bring up Gingrich’s failures in his personal life and with his ethics violation due to tax exemption violations and false information given to the House Ethics Committee in 1997. Does this matter today? When half of American’s marriages end in divorce or when his tax exemption issues are minuscule next to the magnitude of irregularities the Clinton’s will be facing with the donations made to their foundation among other things? It’s hard to say with voters in these times.
Texas U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate 2016 Ted Cruz
Senator Ted Cruz, (R-Texas), one of the only original seventeen candidates for the Republican nomination for President who gave him any competition during the primaries and state caucuses, is also on the short list. Conservatives and libertarians should love this news. Cross over unaffiliated voters, or independents, maybe not so much. If not the Vice President Choice, many admirers or even objective constitutionalists, agree Cruz would be the perfect choice for the United States Supreme Court. Cruz, is best known for his diligence in upholding The Constitution despite being born in Canada to an American mother and Cuban father. The Princeton University and Harvard Law School grad is well known for his excellent debate team skills.
This choice would also fend off the rumored “Never Trump” republicans who eschew his background as someone never previously elected to office and perhaps disapprove of how he made his money, his former off and on registration as a voter and contributor to the democrats over the decades, and any policies he upholds which are not conservative enough for them, or on the opposing end, too extreme. This group still hopes to somehow stop his nomination as the party nominee in Ohio through the rules committee, bound delegate counts, and ballot rounds.
Indiana Governor Mike Pence
Indiana Governor Mike Pence, with no baggage behind him, is considered a safe choice who will appeal to social conservatives. Originally a Cruz supporter, he now stands behind Donald Trump as the people’s choice and presumptive party nominee. Said to be the favorite choice with Donald’s children, it remains to be seen if Trump will pick a Governor who does not represent a battleground state. Pence also served in the Congress from 2001 to 2012.
Retired Lieutenant Governor Mike Flynn {photo: NBC News}
A retired Lieutenant General, Michael Flynn, is also on the short list. An advisor to the Trump campaign for months, the 57 year old does not get accolades from conservative republicans like Mike Huckabee. Pro-choice, Flynn does not pass the test of party colleagues who do not share his position.
Some analysts have even suggested Senator Jeff Sessions from Alabama could be a possible pick, as well as Dr. Ben Carson, who was one of the original candidates seeking the nomination in fall of 2015. Most absurdly among the names being brandished about, is his brilliant and elegant daughter Ivanka, who like all of his children, is an impressive offspring, but who is there to support her father not to run with him.
Whoever Trump picks as his vice presidential candidate, they will be an asset to Trump. If Trump put all of the original seventeen candidates for the republican nomination for the President of the United States 2016 into cabinet positions, this country would be humming. It might take a term to undo so much damage done by the current administration after almost eight years, but sooner rather than later, we’d see America become great once again.
With tonight’s primary win in Indiana over challenger’s Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich, Trump is the projected winner with 52.9% to Ted Cruz at 36.7% with 60% reporting. Kasich is coming in with around 7.8%. This win with 57 delegates, will bring the delegate count for Trump to 1,041, less than two hundred from the 1,237 total needed to get the Republican Party nomination at the Ohio convention in July on the first ballot.
Kasich is saying he is going to stay in despite winning one state, Ohio, and with nothing else to bring to the table except maybe his moderate position. In a statement released tonight, Kasich’s campaign said their goal is to win the nomination in an open convention. Cruz always maintains he will stay in the race.
Tonight in Indiana, numbers are tight between the Vermont Sanders who has a large following of his own, and Mrs. Clinton. Reporters on the mainstream media are saying they have to keep refreshing the pages showing results to find out who is ahead by mere numbers. With Sanders appearing to be the winner at just after 8PM, with Sanders at 53.1% to Clinton’s 46.9%, with 55% reporting, he is appearing to be the projected winner.
But with any frontrunner of a political party, when the numbers separating two candidates aren’t far enough apart, changes can be made to switch the results, whether its “missing” ballot boxes found, or late reporting large districts, or last hour votes from who knows who, the end result isn’t called until its called. Regardless, this Indiana win is important for Bernie Sanders, and continues to illustrate many democrats are not finding Mrs. Clinton too likable.
Earlier on the democrat front, MSNBC this evening had an interview with Jeff Weaver, Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sander’s campaign manager, as results still stream in. He was asked about the drop off in contributions between March and April, citing Sanders donations dropped 20 million from previous months. Weaver replied their average has been 17 million a month but numbers like this are not sustainable.
It’s worthwhile to point out small grassroots donations, as Sanders has achieved in much larger numbers than presumed nominee Hillary Clinton, hold a lot of weight on Election Day. Others would argue it’s more important to get the large donations from lobbyists and PAC’s, as former First Lady and SOS Clinton does regularly. Liberal Hollywood, who has never understood where they fit on an economic map in terms of individual earnings and capitalism, and the vitriol agenda they promote as if they were have-nots, also holds incredibly high ticketed fundraising dinners for Clinton. Recently, actor George Clooney and his new wife had to pay 353K to Hillary for her to appear at their event.
Any voter who thinks this woman, is in touch with their lives or needs, or even cares if she does know, better take another look. This is a woman who has lived off of taxpayer money and flown only on private jets for decades, has lived a life of a bon vivant, which was something in olden days that only attractive and entertaining people could pull off. Would she even know how to board a commercial jet? Does she even know how to drive?
Mrs. Clinton told the mainstream media in interviews looking for sympathy, she went from being so poor when moving out of the White House, she and the former President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton, didn’t know how they would prevail, to an amazing achievement of an accrued nest egg of thirty-one million dollars. Her husband, in name only, as the two have not lived together, for…? Fifteen years? Is worth eighty-million. Perhaps they can afford to return the White House furniture they took with them when leaving for the chosen exit strategy location of New York, for Mrs. Clinton to run for the U.S. Senate, if she actually gets elected.
With Sanders a presumed winner, Clinton pundits are quickly noting how unimportant this win is for Sanders, and how it means nothing in terms of Hillary’s outcome with upcoming primaries and the ultimate nominee. The narrative is always so blatant. Of more concern to Sanders supporters, the fix was in a long time ago, and no matter how well he continues to perform, Clinton will get the nomination both due to super-delegates pledged even before the first primary, and the large funding behind her whatever the source.
Going forward, all Americans can hope for a more positive arena that talks about the important issues today. The below the belt comments made by Senator Cruz in regards to Trump, and the abstract comments made by Trump today in regard to Cruz’s father really need to stop. These exchanges would make fine former President Ronald Reagan not only cringe, but be truly dispirited.
Cruz, in his comments after his loss tonight in Indiana, referred to Reagan and spoke at length about what the former beloved Republican President believed. To do so, after completely ignoring Ronald Reagan’s well-observed eleventh commandment, “though shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican” which he did not follow today or in days earlier. His pronounced would-be running mate, former businesswoman Carly Fiorina, followed suit, and spent much of her stump speeches insulting the frontrunner.
Trump, has not abided by this Reagan commandment either. Perhaps he gets a bit more of a pass in that one, he’s from New York, where New Yorkers speak frankly and loudly, and two, he has not always proclaimed to be a conservative and has not always been a registered Republican. For the record, he has been registered as a Republican for more years than a Democrat.
Still, the mudslinging needs to stop. Perhaps Senator Cruz realized this, too, as he just announced he was suspending his campaign.
Texas U.S. Senator suspends campaign for President in Indiana May 3, 2016
An admirable man, his run and patriotism should be admired. More amazing to many, is Kasich’s staying in, who has won only one state compared to Cruz. There is a method to every campaign. Perhaps Kasich feels he can enough anti-Trump votes at the convention to somehow someway become the nominee.
As for Clinton and Sanders, to the Democrat leadership, they once again have to face another evening that shows them the man they considered no challenge at all, is still beating the anointed woman they believe will aside from all scandal and lack of achievement regardless of title, become the first female President of the United States.
Cruz Announces VP Pick Businesswoman Carly Fiorina and Looks West for Wins
Written by Juliana Simone
Donald Trump, Republican Candidate for President of the United States in CT 2016
Winning projections for both frontrunners, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton were validated on Tuesday, April 26th, with Trump winning all five states up for grabs, and Clinton winning four out of five states with final totals reported over their opponents.
It was clear before 1AM the numbers for Rhode Island still seemed too close to call. News the next day showed with the final count, Vermont U.S. Senator Sanders beat the 2008 democrat presidential candidate Clinton in Rhode Island, 55% to 43.3%. As a result, the former Arkansas and U.S. First Lady did not have the same five state sweep Republican opponent Trump achieved, nor were her numbers as good as the ones Trump won overall.
Too early to project except for the temptation of the sensational news headline, the media reported Tuesday evening Hillary had a huge night and easily won all five states in this late April primary in the northeast. Mrs. Clinton, naturally, quick to embrace the moment in a campaign that has surprised supporters how difficult it has been for her to compete with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, happily chose this moment in the sun to pan to voters and the cameras that she is a popular candidate, despite the unexpected success of her challenger.
In terms of the Rhode Island results, a difference of 12% is considerable, and it should make voters wary of what the agenda driven mainstream media reports. Numbers like that are way too large to call for any election. Messaging must have prioritized the iffy statistics that those who chose to call Rhode Island for the former Secretary of State, believed would go their way, and rushed to embellish Clinton’s win as equal to those of Trump’s.
What’s clear to those who have followed this race from the beginning, is she is not a popular candidate, and polls continue to show she has a high percentage rate as someone who is not likable. According to polls, for whatever they’re worth, Republican opponent Trump has the same. The difference is in the numbers.
Holding true to the pattern that began early on with the beginning of state primaries, the turnout for Trump and the Republican Party far exceeds the turnout for Clinton and the Democrat Party.
The Republican Party is seeing a record high turnout on primary days and in terms of people registering to the party to be able to vote for their preferred candidate in these primaries. Most of the unaffiliated and moderate democrats are making this switch to vote for Trump in states whose election laws do not allow open voting where any registered party member can vote for whomever they choose on the ballot.
The Democrat Party has seen its voters very unenthusiastic about getting to vote for either of their two candidates. Records show four million less democrats have cared to cast a ballot this election year in their primaries. The only candidate motivating any new group in droves who often don’t care to vote, is Sanders with the millennial group made up of young adults between twenty and thirty.
Statistics and analysis show the Trump campaign even outperformed the estimates polls provided going into this latest Super Tuesday. What the mainstream media chose not to emphasize was that Donald Trump, not only won all five states in the Tuesday primary, but he won every county of all five states. Neither of his Republican opponents were able to win one county in this primary. Clinton could not say she also won every country of the four states she was declared the winner.
How the five candidates performed on the 26th:
Connecticut: Trump @ 57.86% (votes cast: 123,367) to Kasich @ 28.37% (votes cast: 60,481) and Cruz @ 11.71% (votes cast: 24,969); Clinton @ 51.8% (votes cast: 170,075) to Sanders @ 46.42% (votes cast: 152,410). Trump took all 28 delegates; Clinton took 28 delegates to Sanders 27.
Delaware: Trump @ 60.8% (votes cast: 42,472) to Kasich @ 20.4% (votes cast: 14, 225) and Cruz @ 15.9% (votes cast: 11,110); Clinton @ 59.8% (votes cast: 55,950) to Sanders @ 39.2% (votes cast: 36,659). Trump took all 16 delegates; Clinton took 12 delegates to Sanders 9.
Maryland: Trump @ 54.4% (votes cast: 236, 623) to Kasich @ 23.0% (votes cast: 100, 089) and Cruz @ 18.9% (votes cast: 82,038); Clinton @ 63.0% (votes cast: 533,247) to Sanders @ 33.2% (votes cast: 281,275). Trump took all 38 delegates; Clinton took 61 delegates to Sanders 33.
Pennsylvania: Trump @ 56.7% (votes cast: 892,702) to Cruz @ 21.6% (votes cast: 340,20) and Kasich @ 19.4% (votes cast: 304,793); Clinton @ 55.6% (votes cast: 918, 689) to Sanders @ 43.6% (votes cast: 719, 955). Trump won all 17 delegates; Clinton took 105 delegates to Sanders 83.
Rhode Island – Trump @ 63.8% (votes cast: 39,059) to Kasich @ 24.4% (votes cast: 14, 929) and Cruz @10.4% (votes cast: 6,393); Sanders @ 55% (votes cast: 66, 720) to Clinton @ 43.3% (votes cast: 52, 493). Trump took 12 delegates, Kasich 5 and Cruz 2; Sanders took 13 delegates to Clinton’s 11.
Connecticut was the state most analysts and polls believed could go to Sanders. He was well in the lead through much of the day, then a slim lead through the evening, but final tallies pushed Clinton over the edge to win. Connecticut has a history of funny math on ballot mishaps on Election Days, so it’s tough to say if Sanders didn’t actually win this state.
Sanders, who wanted to speak at UCONN, on one of his campaign speeches, couldn’t meet their terms and had to go the New Haven green and Hartford the next morning. It is of note that UCONN presented an award to former President Bill Clinton for human rights in October, and the UCONN Foundation paid Hillary Clinton $251,250. As a resident, I see Sanders lawn signs and bumper stickers on cars a lot and have yet to see anything for Clinton.
Trumps biggest wins were in Rhode Island and Delaware in the low sixties percentage wise. The other three states he still performed well in, with two in the high fifty percentiles and Maryland, his lowest at still just under 55%. Clinton has one state that gave her a return in the low sixties – Maryland. Delaware had her second best returns at almost sixty percent, and her two wins put her in the low to mid-fifties. Rhode Island, which she lost put her in the low forties.
Sanders highest percentage was his winning state, Rhode Island, of course, at 55%. Kasich’s highest return was in Connecticut, known for its large group of moderate Republicans, at 28%, and Cruz’s best state was Delaware at just under 16%.
Of all the candidates the winner of who won their home state by the largest percentage goes to Bernie Sanders, where the Vermont U.S. Senator won by a whopping 86.1%, faring much better than fellow colleagues in the Senate, Cruz and Marco Rubio, who failed to win over challenger Donald Trump, who considers Florida to be his second home. Trump won his home state of New York with a respectable 60.4%, Cruz won Texas with 43.8%, and Kasich won Ohio as sitting Governor, with 46.8%.
It’s tough to say what Hillary Clinton’s home state is and she claims a few to hold that distinction. Born and raised in Illinois, she attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts and Yale Law School in Connecticut. She met her future husband on this Ivy League campus, the 42nd President of the United States, William J. Clinton, who proposed marriage, but a staff opportunity in Washington D.C. that made her future there a bright one, was her preference at this given time.
But failing to pass the District of Columbia bar exam to become an attorney there, she took the bar in Arkansas where her boyfriend Bill Clinton was returning. Passing that exam, she agreed to marry Clinton, where they lived and worked for almost twenty years.
Winning the White House in 1992, put Mrs. Clinton in Washington, D.C. for eight years. When her husband’s two terms ended, she did not want her spot in the political limelight to end, so she cherry picked New York as her choice to run for the U.S. Senate. Plunking down money on a 1.7 million dollar home in Chappaqua, to qualify her for the run as a resident, she eventually won over the New Yorker’s who recognized her as a carpetbagger, with the general consensus that maybe more state money would come to them with someone as powerful as a former First Lady as their U.S. Senator.
Though New York is actually listed as her home residence, she has spent little time in that home since its purchase in 1999. Its former President Bill Clinton who has lived in the house since the Clinton’s bought into the Empire State. Once Hillary won her Senate seat through New Yorker’s votes, the Clinton’s purchased a home for 2.85 million in what is known as the upscale area of northwest Washington as “Observatory Circle.” The brick colonial is located on a dead end street.
Whichever home she designates at the moment, in Illinois she won with 50.5% of the vote, just slightly over opponent Sanders who came in with 48.7%. In Arkansas, the home of her husband who was the Governor there and a former President, she faired the best at 66.3%. In New York, the blue state she’s spent a fraction of the time, she won with 58%. In Massachusetts, where she attended college, she just beat Sanders 50.1% to 48.7%.
In caucuses, Cruz won in Wyoming with his highest percentage achieved at 66.3% with 644 votes cast, while Trump in this state caucus gave Trump his lowest figure to date at 7.2%. Idaho went to Cruz with 45.4% to Trump’s 28.1%. Trump did not visit Idaho unlike Cruz. Idaho also chose Sanders over Clinton by a large margin: 78% Sanders to 21.2% Clinton. In Alaska, both Cruz and Sanders one. Cruz, by almost three points, but Sanders ran away with it beating Hillary 81.6% to 18.4%.
On a larger scale in terms of the numbers, as noted in an earlier post, Trump has already received 2.1 million more votes before this five state primary, than Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012. This is an amazing figure.
On the Democrat Party side, the party has seen four million less people care to cast a vote in the primary process. Whether Democrats don’t care for either choice enough to go vote, or will just pull the lever for whoever becomes the nominee, remains to be seen. People can only wonder what the turnout would be with Clinton on this second try versus any other opponent than Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, in challenging her.
The candidate who has ignited the Democrat Party, as Trump has lit up not only Republican Party supporters, but democrats and unaffiliated, is Sanders. Sanders is the politician who has brought out masses of followers to his rallies, has won ten states over the media’s anointed Clinton the Party did not believe perceivable, as well as nearly tying her in states like Missouri.
He’s received more private grassroots donations, has kept Clinton’s winning margins in many primaries and caucuses far from solid leads, and could arguably be the frontrunner if not for the Democrat Party’s super-delegate system. Professionals and voters have speculated over whether or not Sanders knew Clinton had all these super-delegates in the bag, before he even began his campaign. Did he know he would never have the opportunity to become the party nominee, no matter how popular his campaign became? Certainly his voters did not.
An interesting local news highlight here in New England, reported on Tuesday’s five state primary, which illustrated how popular Sanders is among his party’s voters and devotees, on a small but impressive note for those of who know the area, ” Democrat turnout was so high on Block Island that a ferry had to ship extra Democratic ballots to the remote community Tuesday evening.”
For those not familiar with this region, Block Island is part of Rhode Island – an island off of the shore of Rhode Island which is a local tourist attraction for both sailors and visitors who take the ferry there and stay in hotels as a summer getaway destination.
Despite his large following, mostly with the youth vote, as pointed out earlier, this is not his sole demographic. A pronounced Socialist, Sanders appeals to disenfranchised Americans, big government fans and most likely Democrats who don’t care for Hillary, or maybe even both Clinton’s.
Still, with the northeast four state sweep on Tuesday, Sanders said Wednesday with last night’s returns, he would now be laying off hundreds of staff employees around the country and focus on California, which he considers to be a state he can win. He explained in regards to the campaign layoffs, that in states whose primaries already have passed, he did not need staff their anymore and needed to focus on the remaining 14 states whose delegates and voters were still important going forward. The Vermont U.S. Senator also said he will remain in the race until the convention.
Trump, has his own possible battle awaiting him in Ohio at the Republican National Convention with many party candidates, leadership and advisers not hiding the fact they are doing everything they can to keep him from becoming the nominee. Whether it’s Cruz and Kasich with their news announcement this week on teaming up to not campaign or advertise in states that favored either over the other, to keep more delegates from Trump acquiring the 1,237 needed to not go to a second ballot at the convention, when bound delegates can then vote for whomever they choose, or if its reputable long-serving Republican’s whether elected into office or not, saying they’ll vote for Hillary before Donald, Trump and his millions of supporters have to prepare themselves for a showdown on in July.
If Trump continues to win the remaining primaries, and falls just short of the total delegates needed only to have the national convention delegates award the nomination to someone else, leaves supporters wondering if Trump should run as an independent. On the democrat side, Sanders is wondering this, too, with his large following and earned primary and caucus wins, why should he bow out because the party already had given the nomination to Hillary through their super-delegates despite his hard work and positive response?
Trump, a businessman who’s made billions of dollars in real estate investments and other ventures, is the only self-funded candidate out of the remaining five, and also out of the original seventeen Republicans. This is something conservatives in the Republican Party usually laud, as it means the candidate won’t be prone to backroom deals and secret handshakes with lobbyists, special interest groups and politicians across the aisle, since no money had to exchange hands between them in the form or campaign contributions or PAC money.
This advantage Trump has and also gives voters, now is hardly ever mentioned in the media and the Republican Party seems mute on this positive. The argument stands that this is because the insiders in D.C. want everyone to have the same strings tied to them as are tied to everyone else there. A man with no strings is free and clear and does not need to respond on demand. Clearly a dangerous concept to the establishment.
Carly Fiorina with Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz as she becomes Cruz’s running mate as VP if he gets the nomination
An interesting turning point that followed Tuesday’s results, was Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, exiting the northeast and leaving his losses behind to announce he had picked his running mate for Vice President, if he can somehow achieve the nomination at this time. He chose the only female Republican who sought the nomination for President of the United States in 2016, former business executive Carly Fiorina.
A good choice in that it brings a female on to his ticket for those voting for Hillary simply on gender alone. She is not a party insider, as Cruz wrestles with the constant argument between those who claim he himself is one as an elected Senator, and those who maintain he is anything but, as someone who’s always bucked the system and stood alone on some important issues his colleagues would not join him on.
She also must have appealed to Cruz as she was born in Texas to a father who was an attorney, law professor, deputy U.S. attorney general and judge on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
In the debates, one prime time and the others in the pre-prime time broadcasts for lower polling candidates, she made it clear she was very sharp on policy and could run circles around Hillary if they’d ever have the opportunity to debate. This, of course, is the reason the media never gave her much airtime. Yes, they want a woman to become President, but, no, not a Republican one.
Pundits saw both negatives and positives in his decision. Negatives cited were her inability to win a primary or caucus and poll numbers that kept her off the prime time debate stage except for once. Positives were her college and business connections to California and again, the fact she is a female.
Personally, for those who listened to the debates, one has to wonder if her accepting the invitation to be Cruz’s running mate was because as she stressed in every opening or closing statement, she’d been told no her whole life, and she found a way to get what she wanted anyway. Perhaps this is her drive in that she’s turned a public and party no into a yes.
Additionally, it gives her more on-camera time to say negative things about Donald Trump. The two had their moments on national television during the debates, and it’s clear there is no love between the two of them. If her coming back into the spotlight means she’ll be spending her time criticizing Trump with snarky remarks, (she’s already said “Trump will be a disaster for this nation” if elected) instead of being at her best and highlighting Clinton’s many weaknesses and troubles, then perhaps she should have passed on a possible run with Cruz.
The etiquette of Reagan’s eleventh commandment is perhaps now off the table as her own election is at hand along with Senator Cruz. So for now, the campaign speech will be its Trump who is the projected disaster, not Clinton. For his part on Cruz teaming up with Fiorina, Trump has said the Cruz-Fiorina announcement was a waste of time.
Polls in Indiana, which is holding its primary this Tuesday, May 3rd, show an uptick for the Texas Senator since announcing Fiorina as his VP choice. With what little polling has been done, there, however, polls currently show Trump still leads by around 5%.
Total delegate counts going into this Tuesday stand with Trump at just under one thousand at 996; Cruz with 565 and Kasich with 153. Florida U.S. Senator, Marco Rubio, who suspended his campaign after his loss in Florida to Trump, with 164 still holds more delegates than Kasich, but with Kasich staying in until the end, despite only winning his state of Ohio, should pick up enough by the end of the primaries to exceed Rubio. Unbound delegates for Rubio, most after the first ballot will be up for grabs.
With the primaries coming to a close, ten remaining states for the Republican candidates, including California, will have the final say if Donald Trump can go to the Ohio convention with the needed delegate count to become the nominee with no second, or possibly more, ballots, and the potential to become the 45th President of the United States.
(l-r) Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, Ohio Governor John Kasich, Businessman Donald Trump {photo: dispatch.com}
Written by Juliana Simone
April 26, 2016
With the recent news story that highlighted a new pact between Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich, where they will work together in the forthcoming weeks to alter the outcomes of delegate votes for frontrunner New York businessman Donald Trump, it appears that the Republican Party’s establishment, still hopes to stop Trump from becoming the 2016 nominee for President of the United States under any circumstances.
Five states are holding presidential primaries today: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania. There are still 733 delegates up for grab out of the 1,237 total needed at the national convention by a candidate to secure the nomination and not have the vote go to a second ballot. For those who have read my previous posts, as I’ve mentioned before, many tricky things happen once it goes to a second ballot, or more if necessary.
Trump is showing high polling numbers in all of the five states voting today and is expected to win them. In our state of Connecticut, polls have Trump winning at 40% with Cruz just over 20% and Kasich in the high teens. With that in mind, Cruz and Kasich apparently have decided to move forward to upcoming primary states like Indiana, who along with Tennessee, have their primary on May 3rd.
The pact between Senator Cruz and Governor Kasich has the two contenders agreeing to not challenge each other in a state where one clearly has higher expected returns. Strategically, this means they each will be more likely to win the state, or at least many of the state’s delegates over Trump.
Kasich, still the candidate who has only won one state, his own, and is perceived by many as someone who should have suspended his campaign months ago, continues to enjoy his time in the spotlight, and remains ambitious in his campaigning. Proof of this was his remarks yesterday that he still hoped to win Indiana, even though he’d just agreed with Cruz he would not campaign in this state to give the edge to Cruz and thus help to eliminate Trump. Cruz, in turn, would not campaign heavily in New Mexico and Oregon to give an edge to Kasich.
But, Kasich, quickly showed the true nature of politics, when hours later from the announcement of their agreement, he said at an appearance in Philadelphia Monday, “Indiana voters should vote for me.” Yes, he did withdraw his public appearances to stay true to the pact with Cruz, but he still plans on meeting with Indiana Republicans, including their Governor, and attending a fundraising event there. In return, Cruz’s campaign said they would never tell any voter who to vote for and told supporters they did not endorse tactical voting.
Upon hearing this news, frontrunner Trump addressed this pact from an appearance in Warwick, Rhode Island, calling it conclusion, and saying in business or the stock market, if you collude, you’d be put in jail, but in politics, because it’s a rigged system, a corrupt enterprise, in politics you’re allowed to collude. He said he was happy with this news, in that it showed how weak and pathetic the two were, as they are just getting killed…it shows complete weakness…two long time establishment guys now had to get together to try and beat the guy that speaks what the people want.
Of note, heading into this late April five state primary, Donald Trump now has had 2.1 million more votes cast for him than Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2012. As the projected winner over Ted Cruz and John Kasich by sizeable percentages, Trump’s count will continue to grow this evening when final tallies are posted.
Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has acknowledged Trump will win the five states today, but believes once the primaries head back towards the western states, results will change and not favor Trump. After May 3rd, the states of Nebraska and West Virginia have primaries on May 10th; Kentucky, Oregon and Washington hold their primaries on May 17th; big-prize state California, along with Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota primary on June 7th, and lastly Washington D.C. (democrat party only) on June 14th.
The discussion that remains as the main talking point, is whether or not Donald Trump can achieve the total of 1,237 delegates needed at the national convention in Ohio to become the nominee without heading into the second ballot. At this time, he is the only Republican candidate remaining of the three that has the potential to achieve this feat. Whether or not the Republican establishment hopes to derail this effort remains to be seen.
Businessman and Republican Presidential candidate 2016 Donald TrumpTexas U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate 2016 Ted Cruz
Written by Juliana Simone
The reason one state counts this far into the game comes down to two words: Second ballot.
Most readers probably thought they would see the words ‘contested convention.’ Also important in that one leads to the other.
But for those in the know, where things get tricky at a state or national convention, is when a candidate well into the lead and has been told by numerous delegates they were the sure winner by a healthy percentage, suddenly find themselves short enough to have to go into a second ballot.*
Wisconsin’s numbers tonight award the winner 18 delegates. Three delegates for each of the eight congressional districts within the state are then distributed. With polls showing Texas U.S. Senator well in the lead over businessman Donald Trump on the Republican side, strategists show no matter how it’s cut up, Trump won’t come out with enough to call it a win heading into the national convention after tonight.
This is good news for Cruz supporters, or the ‘I’ll-vote-for-Hillary’ group before Trump, despite their patriotic stance presented to the public. Anyone who has served on the municipal level, no matter how small a town, can tell you how every vote matters. Town board seats and State House seats have been won by one vote. One vote. Something sadly much of America, whose citizens have the privilege to vote, does not recognize each Election Day.
The Kasich camp, still believes somehow somewhere the Ohio Governor can become the nominee, even with only winning one state to date, his own, out of thirty-two primaries/caucuses held to date. Many people believe he should have left the stage some time ago. Arguably, if there was a third man (or woman) still standing, the list is long in terms of exceptional candidates who were presented to us originally back in late 2015.
Both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz voiced their opinions pre-Wisconsin vote that Kasich should drop out with only one state under his belt. But the long-serving Republican Party candidate says he is staying in until the convention. He has noted in public comments that no one outside of Ohio even knew who he was before running for President of the United States, so perhaps this achievement accompanies his view of what America would be under his leadership.
“Up until now, no one knew who I was. They thought my name was ‘Governor of Ohio.’ Finally I’m getting some attention! People can hear my message!” This may be true in some circles, but most people didn’t even know he was the Governor of Ohio. Other Governor’s had more national media attention going into this competition. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and former Texas Governor Rick Perry.
Understandably, this is a shining moment for John Kasich, the current Ohio Governor. Considered a moderate who has made statements of note during his campaign, including the idea he would perhaps pick a democrat to be his Vice President on the ticket.
Also, like Republican Party nominee veteran John McCain, (who lost to Illinois U.S. Senator Barack Hussein Obama in 2008), Kasich says he will work with both sides of the aisle, and is described as a big government legislator. For these reasons, Kasich is not popular with conservatives, libertarians, right-sided Republicans and some of the blue-collar demographic who support Trump.
New York businessman Donald Trump has connected with voters from a vast amount of demographics and appears to be the only Republican who currently can assure cross-over votes. Kasich’s camp would disagree with this assessment and argue because of his moderate stance, he will appeal to these groups, as well. But this is old strategy from the current GOP establishment which continues to believe, if we’re more like them they’ll vote for us. Election results have not proven this to be case in terms of who wins the highest office politically. (McCain 08; Romney 12.)
Federal offices hold Republican majorities in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Congress with a mix, depending on the state, but notably with the addition of new conservative faces. Texas Senator Ted Cruz is one of those. Endorsed by former Alaska Governor and 2008 Vice President Candidate Sarah Palin, he won his U.S. Senate seat in 2012. Governor Palin now has endorsed Donald Trump for the party nomination for president, but either way, she clearly stands by candidates who are anti-establishment.
Cruz has made this reputation by his actions as a constitutionalist in Washington D.C., who stands firmly on the Founder’s principles and his, while Trump presents this status as a businessman who has never held public office but has made major achievements over his lifetime. Both men have Ivy League degrees (Cruz: Princeton/Harvard; Trump: Wharton Schol of Business, University of Pennsylvania) and are happily married with children.
They each have their critics, too.
Cruz, has people who staunchly insist he is not qualified to run for the office of President of the United States since he was born in Canada. His mother, an American, married a Cuban native. He also is said to have few allies among his colleagues in the U.S. Senate for his strong approach in fighting the insiders and business as usual.
Trump, the media has pulled out all stops to try and bury every day, as both the never-perceived front-runner, and due to personal vendettas apparently from some of the media’s upper tier. A blunt man, who speaks plainly with no apology, receives constant criticism from the commentators and politically correct crowd who does not believe any lets-cut-to-the-chase speak, should ever be allowed (regardless of how they talk amongst themselves privately with no cameras rolling.)
But both of these aforementioned things the two men bring to the table, who presumably will be the nominee coming out of the national convention in July, are what brings them their devout fans.
Interestingly, the location of the convention is in the home state of Governor Kasich, where the third man hoping to somehow grab a seat in this game of musical chairs, still hopes for some miracle that can happen with the arm-twisting and madness of the super-delegates.
On the democrat front, things are even bleaker for Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders who has won the last states over presumed former First Lady/NY Senator/SOS Hillary Clinton despite her serious woes with the FBI in re her email server scandal. For this party, primaries have just been an expense for taxpayers, as Clinton already had sewn up all her caucus’s super-delegates before even starting the process. It must be a concern to those who immediately ushered her in to this front-line position and ignored her pockmarked veneer that the massive youth turnout for Sanders would not take kindly to learning their vote never mattered due to these party logistics.
Sanders who has out-performed her in many states throughout the county, has left the democrat party in a dilemma. With large wins in Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, and one really close win in Michigan, he has outperformed what any pundit conceived after his announcement. His supporters maybe at best can hope for a FBI arrest for Clinton, which is far more deserved than what General Patraeus was found guilty of – but even he made recent comments Clinton under the Obama administration and the current Department of Justice will sweep under the rug to keep their liberal agenda for the country going.
On the Republican front, somehow this group needs to form an alliance whoever the nominee is after the convention. The country continues to diminish as Democrats are elected or re-elected due to stubborn Republican voter divide.
*{Ask former Congressman and retired U.S. Army Colonel Rob Simmons, (CT-2), who was assured he would beat the democrat nominee, Connecticut’s long-serving Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal, once becoming the official nominee in 2010, but a second ballot flipped the vote for newcomer WWE co-owner Linda McMahon.}
GOP candidates for President 2016 (l-r) U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (FL-R), Businessman Donald Trump, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (TX-R) and Ohio Governor John Kasich {photo: ABC/AP}
FINAL Update II:
Missouri’s update today, March 17th, has the delegate counts with 99% reporting for Trump at 25, and Cruz at 5. A newer post by CNN within the hour, has just changed this total, that the numbers now from pledged delegates give Trump 25 to Cruz’s 15, out of 52 delegate’s total.
Missouri, the fifth and last state to report the Republican winner with numbers between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz just about even, announced Donald Trump as the winner with 40.9% of the total votes, and Ted Cruz right behind him at 40.7%. The amount of votes that gave Trump the win was 1,726. At this time, Trump earned Missouri’s 15 delegates, as well, and Cruz none.
Kasich came in with 9.9%. Despite Ohio being the only state Kasich has won so far, he maintains he is staying in the race until the national convention where the RNC delegates will choose who the nominee is going to be.
Delegate totals with this finish leave three out of the four participating candidates Tuesday night with these numbers:
Trump: 661 Cruz: 406 Kasich: 142.
Trump’s four-state win Tuesday night broadened the amount of delegate votes between the businessman and second-place candidate Texas Senator Cruz. Going into Tuesday, Trump led Cruz by 99 votes. Now his lead over Cruz is 255.
However, there are still 1,079 delegate votes to be gained for the needed 1,237 to secure the nomination assuming the convention remains uncontested. If contested, the rules committee, super-delegates and delegates can make changes that allow them to deliver a different outcome of who the Republican nominee will be, regardless of how many states and votes a candidate won from the people as their choice.
In the Democrat primary, the race between former N.Y. U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton and Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, which was also too close to call and nearly a tie, gave Clinton the win when all votes were counted by a very small margin, as with Trump and Cruz. Clinton received 49.6% to Sander’s 49.4%. Clinton came out on top with only 1,531 votes more than Sanders. They each picked up the same number of Missouri delegates with 32 each. Still, Clinton’s win of all five states is a poor sign for Sanders, but he plans to remain in the race as the democrat candidate strongly popular with the under-thirty voters.
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Update: With Missouri still undeclared at 99%, and Trump winning by a hair, here are the delegate totals as of tonight:
Trump: 619 Cruz: 394 Rubio: 167 Kasich: 136
Update: Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz takes the stage tonight in Houston, still waiting for a close race in Missouri to give him a win tonight. It is too close to call now. Former fellow Republican Presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, gave opening remarks as a campaign endorser.
Ted Cruz said if elected, he will take away welfare benefits from those here illegally, improve the economy and get rid of the cronyism in Washington surmising “less government is more freedom.” Cruz also said he would uphold the Second Amendment and gun owner rights, uphold the Constitution’s Bill of Rights, and stand by the nation of Israel. Unlike Trump, he pointed out he won’t try to negotiate the nuclear deal Obama made with Iran, but will “rip it to shreds.”
He added as President he will pass a flat tax, get rid of amnesty, and abolish the IRS. Cruz told supporters “enough with the Washington corruption,” and projected, “Together, we can turn things around.” He encouraged viewers to remember the Constitutional liberties that turned America around, and asked voters to come together and stand as one.
Cruz told supporters “enough with the Washington corruption,” and suggested, “Together, we can turn things around.” He told viewers to remember the Constitutional liberties that turned America around, and asked voters to come together and stand as one.
On the Democrat side, former First Lady Hillary Clinton, appears to have won all five states over her competitor Bernie Sanders, who has a lock on the under-thirty vote. Numbers were close between the two, in Illinois and Missouri. At this time, Sanders has a slight lead over Clinton in Missouri.
Regardless, as noted in this blog before, how many states or votes the Vermont U.S. Senator acquires, he will never get his party’s nomination. With Democrat super-delegates in a large majority, if not total, casting their votes for the previous Secretary of State in their national convention, they will assure her of the nomination she could not achieve when she competed with Barack Obama in 2008.
Update: Trump is the easily projected winner of Illinois and maintains a lead in North Carolina over Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz.
Kasich wins Ohio, the state he governs, with 47% currently to Trump’s 35.9%, 95% reporting. An important win for the former Lehman Brothers’ investment banker (2001-2008), who has not won a state yet in all of the preceding primaries.
Update: Marco Rubio loses Florida to Trump
Marco Rubio loses Florida to Donald Trump except for Rubio’s own Miami-Dade county at 62%. Trump, with latest numbers showing his returns at 45% to Rubio’s 27%, won considerably in this important contest. Florida, Trump’s second home when not in New York, has created many jobs and businesses in Florida compared to the U.S. Senator who like all members of the Legislative Branch and their staff, are compensated through taxpayer money. Whether this was a factor or not, Rubio did make some notable comments before suspending his campaign tonight.
With opening remarks, he congratulated Trump for his win this evening. An audience participant yelled repeatedly at Rubio, and the Senator told him {Ed. Paraphrasing at this time} it was okay, he wouldn’t call the police and he didn’t have to worry about any violence here. His voters gave a strong chorus of support after this, chanting, “Marco! Marco! Marco!”
Reminding his audience of his upbringing, where his two parents fled communist Cuba to find freedom in Florida, and worked as a bartender and maid to give him the opportunity to one day, as an American born son, the opportunity to run for the office of President of the United States, he was proud his eighty-five year old mother could cast a ballot for him today for America’s highest office.
He commented on the economic state of the country, that since 2007, 2008, there has been a horrible downturn that has left many voters upset. He said he knew what it was like to live paycheck to paycheck, and grew up that way, where if the air conditioner broke, money had to be found somehow to fix it.
Rubio also noted that people are tired of hearing if they’re anti-illegal immigration, they’re bigots, and are tired of hearing from the self-called establishment elites who tell them what they should think.
Observing former esteemed President Ronald Reagan’s eleventh commandment that premised no republican should speak ill of any other republican, Rubio maintained this rule by not mentioning Trump directly, but by using sentences that started with the words “what we don’t need” and then referring to things that Trump has said throughout his campaign.
On policy, Rubio told the crowd that America needs a vibrant conservative movement, a strong military, and to keep its Judeo-Christian values that founded our country. He reflected that we were a country formed by descendants, from settlers, to pioneers who ventured west, and to slaves, and we should not lose this, or America won’t be special anymore. He observed, “When America doesn’t lead, it leaves a vacuum.” This vacuum, leads to chaos.
The results that will come in tonight from five big states will either determine the current front-runner in the Republican race, who is to become the party’s nominee by the people, which at this time is businessman Donald Trump, or the second place winner, Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who is still not far behind in popularity. It will also validate why Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich, should not suspend their campaigns, in their view, if they each manage to win their own states.
Both Florida and Ohio are delegate-take-all states, so a win for any candidate here would be a hefty boost, whether you’re in the upper numbers among delegate counts, like Trump and Cruz, or in the lower numbers, like Rubio or Kasich. The remaining three states, Missouri, North Carolina and Illinois have divided delegates, so portions of those counts can be distributed among any of the four candidates.
Going into today’s vote, Trump has the most delegates with 469; Ted Cruz about a hundred behind Trump has 370; Marco Rubio holds 163; and John Kasich comes in last with 63.
Of the five states up for grabs tonight, Florida has the most delegates at 99. North Carolina, which hasn’t had as much attention from the press, comes in second with 72. Illinois has 69, Ohio has 66 and Missouri has 52.
For the candidates who aren’t in first place, and two who need to win their states to maintain respectability among their constituents, Rubio said today on the stump, “We’re going to get the 99 delegates that we need…,”and remained positive that he will win his home state. Cruz said, “If Trump wins, it’s a disaster.” Cruz, who did not receive as much attention this cycle, due to two legislators needs to win their home states, still hopes to do well.
Kasich also said he believed he would win his state of Ohio, and in his view, would then go on to win many states and ultimately the party nomination. Even with a gain of 66 delegates, and the only state won so far under his belt, he would still be in last place.
Kasich also received some help going into this primary, from Republican Party nominee for President in 2012, Mitt Romney, who paid for two advertisements that were anti-Trump. He also made appearances on behalf of the Ohio Governor, in hopes to secure the win for anyone-but-Trump, and in this instance, John Kasich. As commentators have noted, myself included, if perhaps Mitt Romney had put this much energy into beating incumbent President Obama, America would be in a much better place today without four more years under the Obama administration and its failed policies.
Trump noted today at an event speech that as the nominee, we would win states no one ever thought would be possible to win. Traditional states that run blue, or Democrat, have shown a trend of cross-over party votes for Trump, which any Republican candidate will need to win the White House in 2016. However, he has not been performing well in the Midwest, which may give an edge to his competitors. This may or may not reflect on Trump solely as a candidate, as the bulk of the U.S. has never truly embraced a candidate from the Northeast.
What’s different this election, is Trump himself and his “Make America Great Again” message that is resonating with voters beyond party lines. This theme crosses state lines and appeals to many Americans today.
March 8th Republican primary candidates (l-r) Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Donald Trump, Marco Rubio {photo: Fox News}
Written by Juliana Simone
March 9th, 2016
With three states in the United States holding primaries March 8th, and a fourth, Hawaii, holding a caucus, more delegates were up for grabs among the remaining four Republican candidates for President: Businessman Donald J. Trump, Texas U.S. Senator Rafael Edward (Ted) Cruz, Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich. The state of Michigan had the largest delegate count at 59; Mississippi came in second at 40 delegates; Idaho, had 32 delegates. Hawaii, holding a caucus this evening, had 19 delegates for the Republican winner.
The Idaho primary was only for the Republican Party today. Democrat’s primary in Idaho will be held later. Statistically, less than one in ten voters are Democrat’s in the very red state of Idaho. Rubio visited Idaho three times, Cruz and Kasich twice. Trump did not visit Idaho to talk to their constituents.
After the results came in, Trump once again was the big winner. Michigan, the largest prize in terms of delegate counts for the candidates, voted strongly with 37.5% for Trump. A close second place went to Cruz who came away with 24.9%, while Kasich was edged out and placed third with 24.3% of the vote. Rubio placed fourth and last with 8.5%. Kasich had hoped to win his neighboring state of Michigan, for a much needed boost in a campaign that’s produced little results.
On the Democrat side, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton soundly, earning 50% to Clinton’s 17%, giving him his one win for the night. Michigan made it clear, regardless of party affiliation, they prefer the anti-establishment candidates to be the nominees.
Mississippi also preferred entrepreneur Donald Trump, with the highest total return of any Republican candidate in all four states, by achieving almost half the voters nod with 47.3%. Ted Cruz, again placed second, with a respectable 36.3%, almost the amount that won Michigan for Trump. Rubio finished at 5% and Kasich with 9%.
Idaho was the one state won by Senator Cruz, who got the second largest return after Trump’s win in Mississippi, at 45.4%. Trump, though second, had his lowest return at 28.1%. Still, even so, that’s a favorable outcome for the one candidate who did not make a campaign stop in this state. Senator Rubio, who visited Idaho three times, still came in well behind at third, with 15.9% of the vote, which was his only double digit return in the three primaries. Kasich, who made two trips here, as did Cruz, came in with 7%.
Why Trump didn’t visit Idaho, could be for a couple of reasons. One, either his campaign believed with Idaho being such a red state, they would vote for Trump as the frontrunner whether he visited or not, or two, intel told his campaign Idaho was so strongly for Cruz, it wasn’t worth a campaign stop on this tour.
The Hawaii caucus was the third win for Trump Tuesday evening out of the four voting states with delegates up for grab. Trump, with a big percentage of caucus members choosing him to be their choice for President, got 42.4%, the third highest return for any Republican seeking the nomination. Cruz, repeating the pattern of the evening, placed second with a respectable 32.9%. Rubio, came in third with 13.1%, the second time he was able to get above ten percent. Kasich received 11%.
Still, despite the popularity of Donald Trump with the voters, he did not sweep the delegate counts as easily. As a result, the delegate rewards were split more evenly, which brought Senator Cruz closer to Trump in terms of total delegate counts to date.
Michigan, the most sought after reward for the evening that went to Trump, had split results among the delegates, giving the winner twenty-five delegate votes, but then seventeen votes also went to both Cruz and Kasich, with none for Rubio.
Mississippi, with the largest percentage for Trump out of the four states participating, delegates divided their results between Trump and Cruz. Twenty-five went to Trump; fifteen went to Cruz. Kasich and Rubio did not receive any.
Idaho, Cruz’s big win, received the majority of delegate votes at twenty, but twelve still went to Trump. Again, despite the campaign stops both Kasich and Rubio made here, they both failed to earn one delegate.
Hawaii delegates – Trump – 10; Cruz- 6; Rubio and Kasich – 0.
Going into yesterday’s primaries, Trump had the most delegates at a total of 384. Ted Cruz, who did well on Super Tuesday, was now is a closer second, at 300 delegates. Marco Rubio had a count of 151 and John Kasich held 37.
Last night’s returns leave the four Republican candidates with these current totals:
Trump: 458; Cruz: 359; Rubio: 151; and Kasich: 54. Cruz, now is 99 delegates behind Trump. Before Tuesdays four state returns, Cruz was 84 votes behind Trump. The numbers remain close between the New York businessman and the Texas Senator.
Today, former businesswoman, Carly Fiorina, who was one of the original seventeen Republicans seeking the party nomination, endorsed U.S. Senator Cruz. No surprise she would choose Cruz over Trump, after the ill feelings that grew between Trump and Fiorina in the early debates.
Speaking of ill feelings, former candidate Jeb Bush, who went into this race from the beginning with the largest amount of money raised and an important family behind him, with his loss in South Carolina, New Hampshire and Iowa in February 2016, and low polling numbers for months, Bush suspended his campaign. It was announced yesterday, that now Jeb’s brother Neil, will be raising money for Ted Cruz, to help Cruz beat Trump.
There are 1,435 delegates left for the four candidates to win in their column, assuming all four candidates stay in the race, and Rubio and/or Kasich don’t suspend their campaigns. 1,237 are needed to win the national convention that is being held in Ohio.
Daily news reveals more facts that the Republican establishment continues to discuss how they can unseat Trump as the probable party nominee, and speak outwardly to the press against him. Former Massachusetts Governor and previous Republican Presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, who lauded the endorsement he received from Donald Trump when he was running against Democrat incumbent Barack Obama in 2012, came out last week in a press conference saying Trump was a fraud, a phony, and the worst choice for the 2016 nominee as a man he did not perceive to be a true conservative.
He also recorded a taped message for robo calls to be sent to voter’s phones in all four states Tuesday, which encouraged them to vote for any of the other three candidates than Trump, particularly Rubio. With the heavy losses Senator Rubio saw last night, Romney’s message didn’t show much influence. Romney keeps swinging though on his public campaign against Trump. He appeared on the night time talk show with host Jimmy Kimmel, to read some of the insulting tweets Trump had made about the former presidential candidate over Twitter. Though Romney kept his appearance light and took the remarks with a sense of humor and some fair rebuttal, it’s clear the democrats and competing Republican candidates, can count on Romney to keep hitting the frontrunner for them in any venue, given the opportunity.
Apparently, secret meetings are being held, as well, among Republican leadership where they discuss, one, how it can have happened that Trump is so popular and be the preferred nominee, and two, what can they do to take a perceived endorsement away from him. Some of these Republicans have said they will vote for former First Lady, N.Y. Senator and SOS Hillary Clinton before voting for Trump. (It should be noted Clinton was never a New York resident until she chose to run for the U.S. Senate after leaving the White House as First Lady…with quite a bit of furniture, and other White House antiques the Clinton’s felt fine with taking on their exit.)
Fox News Anchor, Megyn Kelly, still wore her personal distaste for Trump on her sleeve, (if she wore one) repeating comments Trump made in his press conference after the results from Mississippi and Michigan came in, with a sneer and a laugh.
Anyone over forty recognizes objective journalism is a thing of the past. Anchors have interjected themselves into a whole new persona, where in their minds, their remarks are more important than the people covered in their lead stories. Despite trying to lead the narrative for at least two decades, and sway the opinion of Americans who don’t follow politics 24/7, it must be frustrating to them to see they haven’t been able to dispose of successful businessman Donald Trump this far into the process.
From Florida, taking the podium to address his supporters last night, in a lengthy appearance, Trump took a higher road and said kinder comments about those who have said derogatory things about him over the past few weeks, including Romney and Kelly.
Plainly answering Mitt Romney’s attacks in his press conference the other day, he rebutted the negatives about some of his brand name spin-offs, such as Trump steaks, Trump water, Trump magazine and Trump University. {In re the latter, he explained in detail that Trump University was still in a lawsuit and explained he had been taught that when one was in a lawsuit, one never settled, because if one did, everyone then could sue.} He assured once the lawsuit was settled, Trump University would start up again and go on to be a success. He cited numbers from participants at TU, that were high up in the ninety percentile, that there was no reason to settle when that many people said it was a good experience.
He also mentioned in regards to his product, Trump Vodka, for the press to please check the records on how well it was doing. He added he owns two thousand acres in Virginia, close to the Jefferson estate, that produces the finest wines.
On the positive, Trump said statistics were showing people who had never voted before for a Republican, voted tonight for the first time. He then thanked the lobbyists for their influence on getting out the vote from this group. He also noted turnout was tremendous – 102% over a year ago.
He thanked golfer Jack Nicholas for his support and Ohio native former Yankee player Paul O’Neill, who endorsed Trump and was in the crowd. Trump is popular with other famous athletes, as well. New England Patriot Quarterback Tom Brady is a Trump supporter, as well as Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz. Brady even wears Trump’s baseball cap with the Trump slogan “Make America Great Again.”
He said he would like to congratulate all of the candidates – “it’s not easy stuff.” Trump said he hoped all of the House Representatives and Senators are re-elected despite whether they supported him or not. He thanked House Speaker Paul Ryan, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for his endorsement, as well as Arizona’s Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio. Arpaio is another advocate for stopping the influx of illegal immigrants into the United States. Former Arizona Governor, Jan Brewer, has also endorsed Trump.
Arizona, a southwestern state, greatly affected by illegal immigration that bears the weight of this invasion every day, in terms of jobs, state assistance, education, crime, incarceration and drug cartels, would naturally support a candidate tough on securing America’s borders.
Donald Trump told the crowd and reporters that tonight’s primary results show, “advertising is not as important as competence.” In talking about U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, he said “he’s a nasty guy.” “Hostility works for some people; not for everybody” he noted when asked about Rubio and others who have recently attacked him. Looking back at his campaign, the billionaire remarked that every person who has attacked him is gone, and that out of seventeen candidates, we’re now down to four.
The victor also noted there’s never been more money spent than what is being spent now to take him down.
With big wins in Mississippi and Michigan, Trump said even Kelly and Charles Krauthammer said I did well tonight; he’s been waiting a long time to hear Charles say this. With Florida voting next, it’s an important last breath for Florida’s Senator Rubio to win, but with Florida being Donald Trump’s second home, and as a businessman whose provided many jobs there, it will be a tough challenge.
As for the second place winner, the Cruz campaign released the fact they only spent one thousand one hundred in advertising dollars in Michigan to come in second, while Rubio and Kasich spent the most. Rubio’s Conservative Solutions Super PAC spent 1.2 million to walk away with zero delegates. Kasich’s PAC spent $770,000. For the record, Trump spent far less at $184,000. for the win.
Cruz also has his sights on Florida, opening ten campaign offices there to get out the vote hoping to come in second over Senate colleague Rubio. The Florida primary will take place on March 15th and has 99 delegate votes. Rubio trailing Trump in the polls in his home state, could get a boost from former competitor for the nomination for President, and former Florida Governor, Jeb Bush, with his endorsement, but it is not expected for Bush to endorse his former colleague Rubio at this time.
Other states voting on March 15th, will be Kasich’s Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina and Missouri. The five states together have 358 delegates for the four candidates to earn. After this primary, it would be surprising to still see four candidates in the Republican race.
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