When was the main moment Rubio's campaign began to collapse?

[Coolface Sock #42069]

I'd say the NH debate when Christie roasted him

That's it. He had, before that, a chance to defeat Trump in New Hampshire, unite the real conservatives and establishment behind him, and defeat Trump soundly for the nomination.

After that, he fell decidedly behind Cruz for conservative support, and increasingly, the establishment crowd is moving to Cruz and Kasich. Despite his stronger showing in South Carolina, my thoughts are that he never truly recovered from that New Hampshire debate.

[RI]

I'd say the NH debate when Christie roasted him

That's it. He had, before that, a chance to defeat Trump in New Hampshire, unite the real conservatives and establishment behind him, and defeat Trump soundly for the nomination.

After that, he fell decidedly behind Cruz for conservative support, and increasingly, the establishment crowd is moving to Cruz and Kasich. Despite his stronger showing in South Carolina, my thoughts are that he never truly recovered from that New Hampshire debate.

Yeah, no. Trump was never going to lose NH.

[Maxwell]

The thing about the New Hampshire debate is that it defined him as a lightweight.

[Famous Mortimer]

He was never high enough to collapse.

[Leinad]

Let's dispel with this fiction that the debate hurt him. He rebounded with a strong debate and finished in 2nd place in South Carolina.

Sure, but the strategy was 3-2-1, not 3-5-2. I think he could've done MUCH better in SC, Nevada, and Super Tuesday had he taken 2nd in New Hampshire. He could've maximized upon his Iowa momentum instead of nullifying it.

And even if you say it didn't directly hurt Rubio, it helped Kasich by not only turning off voters of Rubio, but turning off voters of Christie. Kasich was helped a lot by Christie's kamikaze attack of Rubiobot. And if Kasich had not gained the momentum from NH, Rubio would be the sole establishment candidate, correct? I highly doubt that any of Kasich, Christie, or Jeb! would still be in the race had Rubio beat them in the first 4 states.

Although I do agree that the immigration bit hurt him with conservatives, while in general he's too conservative for moderates, which is why he struggled to get either the wings of the party now taken up by Cruz and Kasich, respectively.

I'd say the NH debate when Christie roasted him

That's it. He had, before that, a chance to defeat Trump in New Hampshire, unite the real conservatives and establishment behind him, and defeat Trump soundly for the nomination.

After that, he fell decidedly behind Cruz for conservative support, and increasingly, the establishment crowd is moving to Cruz and Kasich. Despite his stronger showing in South Carolina, my thoughts are that he never truly recovered from that New Hampshire debate.

Yeah, no. Trump was never going to lose NH.

Correct, Rubio didn't whiff on a chance to beat Trump, but on a chance to beat the rest of the "establishment" wing and unite them behind him--which would've helped him a lot in every state since, perhaps making him the anti-Trump instead of Cruz.

[DINGO Joe]

Probably goes back to whoever programmed him, he's was designed to implode.

[bilaps]

He was never high enough to collapse.

This.

Sure, he would have some chance if Christie moment didn't plunge him in NH, but he would be probably just slightly better than now if that happened. Maybe win in Virginia, but not for sure and that's it. Even with 50 or 100 more delegates he would've probably be in the same position if he loses FL. You can't continue if you can't win your home state and I think he would've lost his state no matter what.

[rob in cal]

   I'm thinking when he signed onto the gang of 8 immigration surge bill instead of leading the fight against it. By supporting it he kind of started off the campaign with a giant negative to many GOP voters.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Sarcasm (10 minutes after he announced!) aside, the debate with Christie. It was his Dan Quayle moment, only worse, because after the hit, he blundered into it again.

[MK]

The Chirste debate thing turned him into the pre-programmed candidate and it stuck.   

[Flake]

His poll numbers really took a big hit once he started "criticizing" Trump the way Trump "criticizes" others. People expect Trump to act like that, people don't expect someone like that to act like a kid in middle school and they viewed him as not taking the issues seriously, and stooping down to Trump's level, and they started flocking to Cruz/Kasich. I mean the results after New Hampshire (South Carolina, Nevada) weren't that bad for Rubio, he got 2nd in both (albeit barely in South Carolina), but on Super Tuesday you could see him completely falling, getting mostly third, no or very few delegates in huge states in the Republican firewall, and getting his first win ever in *Minnesota*. At least he was able to complete the Mondale map by winning D.C. too !

Point is, Rubio should have never been idiotic and decided to attack Trump like the way he attacks others. He got some media attention for it, but it completely backfired.