Iowa is Rubio Country

[UWS]

Republican Presidential Primaries - Map and Delegates Count

Marco Rubio : 332 delegates
Donald Trump : 277 delegates
Ted Cruz : 245 delegates
Ben Carson : 7 delegates
Jeb Bush : 4 delegates
John Kasich : 1 delegate
Carly Fiorina : 1 delegate
Rand Paul : 1 delegate
Mike Huckabee : 1 delegate
Chris Christie : 0 delegate
Rick Santorum : 0 delegate
Jim Gilmore : 0 delegate

2472 delegates in total
1237 delegates needed to win the nomination

Democratic Presidential Primaries - Map and Delegates Count

Hillary Clinton : 742 delegates
Bernie Sanders : 523 delegates
Martin O'Malley : 0 delegate
      
4763 delegates in total
2382 delegates needed to win the nomination

[UWS]

Marco Rubio's victory speech in Pocatelo, Idaho

These are amazing results that accelerated the Marcomentum. This is another step to the nomination, this is another step to victory and this another step for a New American Century.

Thank you! God bless you all.

[UWS]

New polls

Nationwide polls

Republicans

Marco Rubio : 42 %
Donald Trump : 38 %
Ted Cruz : 20 %

Democrats

Hillary Clinton : 46 %
Bernie Sanders : 39 %
Undecided : 15 %

Hawaii polls

Republicans

Marco Rubio : 39 %
Donald Trump : 30 %
Ted Cruz : 17 %
Undecided : 14 %

Maine polls

Democrats

Bernie Sanders : 28 %
Hillary Clinton : 27 %
Undecided : 45 %

Idaho polls

Republicans

Donald Trump : 29 %
Marco Rubio : 24 %
Ted Cruz : 19 %

Michigan polls

Republicans

Marco Rubio : 35 %
Donald Trump : 30 %
Ted Cruz : 20 %
Undecided : 15 %

Democrat

Hillary Clinton : 61 %
Bernie Sanders : 34 %
Undecided : 5 %

Mississippi polls

Republicans

Donald Trump : 44 %
Marco Rubio : 24 %
Ted Cruz : 23 %
Undecided : 9 %

Democrats

Hillary Clinton : 65 %
Bernie Sanders : 11 %
Undecided : 24 %

General election polls

Hillary Clinton vs Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio : 49 %
Hillary Clinton : 44 %

Hillary Clinton vs Ted Cruz

Hillary Clinton : 50 %
Ted Cruz : 46 %

Hillary Clinton vs Donald Trump

Hillary Clinton : 50 %
Donald Trump: 41 %

Bernie Sanders vs Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio : 50 %
Bernie Sanders : 47 %

Bernie Sanders vs Ted Cruz

Bernie Sanders : 58 %
Ted Cruz : 42 %

Bernie Sanders vs Donald Trump

Bernie Sanders : 55 %
Donald Trump : 36 %

[UWS]

On the campaign trail

War of words

Yesterday, during a rally in Mississippi, Donald Trump slammed Marco Rubio foe being the « establishment's standard bearer ». Here are some parts of his statements :

« You know, Little Marco is endorsed by mitch McConnell. He is clearly the establishment's standard bearer. He's endorsed by the same corporatists who made profits on the backs of the people. »

In response, Marco Rubio replied : « If I'm so little, why am I leading you in the polls now? »

Nancy Reagan dies

Nancy Reagan, former First Lady of the United States under Ronald Reagan's presidency died yesterday at the age of 94. The whole country paid tribute to Nancy Reagan whose husband's presidency is remarked by a strong conservative area, by the emergence of neoliberalism, dramatic increases defense spending and the end of Cold War.

[UWS]

Marco Rubio's campaign schedule

March 6, 2016
-Flight to Miami, Florida, where Senator Rubio gives a speech in honor of Nancy Reagan :


Nancy Reagan was a woman of incredible grace and strength who served as an inspiration to an entire generation of Americans. As First Lady, she chose not only to lead with her distinctive style and poise, but also to take a stand on tough issues, such as the prevention of recreational drug abuse.

For conservatives, she has been a powerful living link to her husband’s legacy as one of the greatest modern presidents. Through her work with the Reagan Library she has been active in extending the impact of his leadership and message to a new generation.

It was an honor to have met Mrs. Reagan when I spoke at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in 2011. She went out of her way to warmly welcome Jeanette and me. She will be sorely missed by those who knew her and forever remembered by a grateful nation.

-Flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico
-Speech at the Puerto Rico Museum of Contemporary Art in San Juan, PR
-Meet with college voters at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan, PR
-Speech in San Juan, PR, in favor of Puerto Rico's statehood in the United States
-Rally at the José Migue Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, PR
-Economic policy speech at Plaza del Sol in Bayamon, PR
-Barnstorm in Carolina, PR
-Economic policy speech at Industrias Vassallo in Ponce, PR
-Flight to Detroit, Michigan
-peech at the Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit, MI
-Rally at Ford Field in Detroit, MI
-Barnstorm at Black Bottom in Detroit, MI, in an effort to attract African-American voters
-Fundraising event at the MGM Grand Detroit in Detroit, MI
-Speech at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, MI
-Advertisement filming in Detroit, MI
-Bus trip to Warren, Michigan
-Marco Rubio's presidential campaign broadcasts a TV ad titled « Keep Detroit and America rolling » talking about Marco Rubio's plan to relaunch the United States' automobile industry. The TV commercial narrates Marco Rubio’s speech at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit. The ad airs in Michigan, Florida, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Illinois and Ohio.

« Keep Detroit and America Rolling » advertisement narration :

Due to Barack Obama’s big government policies such as high taxes and regulations on businesses and on energy industry, America’s automobile industry is declining. Detroit represents a great example of this matter of fact. In the last eight years, Detroit is in downturn due to the struggles that our automobile industry is facing. And in 2013, Detroit declared bankrupt, which killed tens of thousands of jobs. It risks of causing a domino effect : since automotive manufacturing is one of Chicago’s main economic activities, Detroit’s bankruptcy risks of putting Chicago into bankruptcy as well, which will hurt the U.S. economy.


If we don’t take action, this domino effect will hit Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Cleveland, etc. Barack Obama failed economic policies caused the offshoring of many of our companies, which cost much more American jobs.


But I have a plan to relaunch America’s automotive industry : by cutting taxes and abolishing regulations on businesses of all sizes (small, medium and big), including automotive industry companies, we will increase our companies’ capacity of open, to grow, to expand, to produce, to innovate and to create jobs. If I’m President, I will reduce the cost of doing business in America, which will convince our future business owners that America is the best place in the world to open a new business, which will help them to lead successful business careers and to create jobs.

We also need to embrace energy independence, which requires using all of our sources of energies and increasing oil drilling and production. As President of the United States, I will double permits on federal lands, approve the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline as well as oil drilling in ANWR.



Under my administration, we will build the TransAmerica Energy pipeline that I’m proposing and that will from situated between Pennsylvania to California. We will also drill oil resources on the Arctic by increasing the number of oil platforms and by encouraging the manufacturing of underwater tankers that will be able to exploit underwater oil and gas resources.


That way, we will be able to encourage oil exploitation, drilling and production without hurting the environment. That way, we will not only bring massive job creation in America but also get all the necessary revenues for the development of renewable energies such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, nuclear energies, which will bring, as a result, the development of an automotive industry manufacturing cars that will function through renewable energies, thus making America the world energy superpower and helping us creating jobs for the American people, for all Americans from all social classes.


My plan to get us energy independence will also relaunch and grow our automotive industry because it will encourage automotive manufacturing in America. It will also reduce the cost of buying American cars, which will, thanks to a stronger purchasing power, encourage our consumers to buy more American cars rather than Asian cars that will be more expansive. So it will encourage the opening of new automotive companies all across America, including here in Detroit. That’s also an advantage of integrating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) because, combined with tariff reduction, the path that I’m proposing to clinch energy independence will make sure that we will be competitive in the Asia-Pacific since American cars will be less expensive than Asian cars. It will encourage more international consumers, including in the Asia-Pacific to buy American cars, which will be beneficial for our automotive industry and for our economy.


So I’m asking for your vote to grow our automotive industry, to save Detroit, its neighbors and all America from bankruptcy and depression, to lead us to energy independence and permanent economic prosperity and to accomplish our goal of bringing full employment in this country for the sake of the U.S. economy and the American Dream.

I’m Marco Rubio and I approve this message.

-Rally with supporters at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, MI, to watch the development of the results of the Puerto Rico Republican primary

March 7, 2016
-Foreign policy speech at the United States Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command in Warren, MI
-Economic policy speech at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, MI
-Meet with college voters at Davenport University in Warren, MI
-Economic policy speech at Warren Truck Assembly in Warren, MI
-Barnstorm in Center Line, MI
-Rally at Atwood Stadium in Flint, MI
-Economic policy speech at the University of Michigan-Flint in Flint, MI
-Energy policy speech at GM Powertrain in Flint, MI
-Space policy speech at the Longway Planetarium in Flint, MI
-Speech at the Flint Cultural Center in Flint, MI
-Energy at the Otto E. Eckert power plant in Lansing, MI
-Meet with college voters at Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI
-Town hall meeting at Peppermint Creek Theatre Company in Lansing, MI
-Speech at Lansing Center in Lansing, MI
-Economic policy speech at Ottawa Street Power Station in Lansing, MI
-Rally at Cooley Law School Stadium in Lansing, MI
-Bus trip to Detroit, Michigan
-Economic policy speech in Detroit Economic Club in Detroit, MI
-Speech at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, MI, in an attempt to appeal Reagan Democrats
-Infrastructure policy speech at Michigan Central Station in Detroit, MI

March 8, 2016
-Bus trip to Dearborn, MI
-Debate preparation on the bus
-Economic policy speech at the Ford Motor Company headquarters in Dearborn, MI
-Energy policy speech at Automotive Components Holdings headquarters in Dearborn, MI
-Meet with college voters at the University of Michigan-Dearborn in Dearborn, MI
-Speech at Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn, MI
-Economic policy speech at the Ford River Rouge Complex in Dearborn, MI
-Manufacturing policy speech at Lear Corporation headquarters in Southfield, MI
-Town hall meeting at the Southfield Public Library in Southfield, MI
-Meet with college voters at the Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, MI
-Bus trip to Grand Rapids, MI  
-Debate preparation on the bus
-Fundraising event at the Grand Rapids Public Museum in Grand Rapids, MI
-Speech at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, MI
-Rally at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI
-Speech at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew in Grand Rapids, MI
-Meet with college voters at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI
-Bus trip to Jackson, MI
-Energy policy speech at CMS Energy headquarters in Jackson, MI
-Meet with voters at Westwood Mall in Jackson, MI
-Speech at the Jackson County Tower in Jackson, MI
-Bus trip to Detroit, MI
-Debate preparation on the bus
-Rally with supporters at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, MI, to watch the development of the results of the Republican primaries and caucuses in Michigan, Mississippi, Idaho amd Hawaii

[UWS]

PUERTO RICO REPUBLICAN PRIMARY AND MAINE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUSES, 2016

CNN America's Choice theme : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uvpd4myQXs

Wolf Blitzer : « Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I'm Wolf Blitzer from the CNN Election Center and tonight we are covering the Puerto Rico Republican primary and the Maine Democratic caucuses. »

John King : « It's 8 pm and we can already report that Marco Rubio is leading largely in Puerto Rico due, notably, to his strong support among Hispanics and to his fluency in Spanish. »

Puerto Rico Republican primary (25 % reported) - 23 delegates

      
Marco Rubio : 71 %
Donald Trump : 10 %
Ted Cruz : 9 %

Anderson Cooper : « It's 9 pm and we can project report that Marco Rubio will win the Puerto Rico primary and all the 23 delegates. »

Puerto Rico Republican primary (100 % reported) - 23 delegates

      
Marco Rubio : 78 % ✔ - 23 delegates
Donald Trump : 12 % - 0 delegate
Ted Cruz : 10 % - 0 delegate

MARCO RUBIO WINS THE PUERTO RICO REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

Wolf Blitzer : « Let's turn our attention to the Democratic caucuses in Maine. Already 50 % of the vote is reported and Bernie Sanders is leading by a lot in Maine. »

Maine Democratic caucuses (50 % reported) - 30 delegates

Bernie Sanders : 61 %
Hillary Clinton : 36 %

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 9 : 15 pm and Bernie Sanders apparently wins every county in Maine. »

Maine Democratic caucuses (75 % reported) - 30 delegates

Bernie Sanders : 65 %
Hillary Clinton : 35 %

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 9 : 30 pm and we can project that Bernie Sanders will win Maine Democratic caucuses. Once again, it shows Sanders' strength in New England. »

Maine Democratic caucuses (100 % reported) - 30 delegates

Bernie Sanders : 66 % ✔ - 20 delegates
Hillary Clinton : 34 % - 10 delegates

BERNIE SANDERS WINS THE MAINE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUSES

Wolf Blitzer : « We'll see you in two days for the coverage of the Republican primaries and caucuses in Idaho, Hawaii, Michigan and Mississippi as well as the coverage of the Michigan Democratic primary and the Demorats Abroad primary. Have a good night. »

[UWS]

Republican Presidential Primaries - Map and Delegates Count

Marco Rubio : 355 delegates
Donald Trump : 277 delegates
Ted Cruz : 245 delegates
Ben Carson : 7 delegates
Jeb Bush : 4 delegates
John Kasich : 1 delegate
Carly Fiorina : 1 delegate
Rand Paul : 1 delegate
Mike Huckabee : 1 delegate
Chris Christie : 0 delegate
Rick Santorum : 0 delegate
Jim Gilmore : 0 delegate

2472 delegates in total
1237 delegates needed to win the nomination

Democratic Presidential Primaries - Map and Delegates Count

Hillary Clinton : 752 delegates
Bernie Sanders : 543 delegates
Martin O'Malley : 0 delegate
      
4763 delegates in total
2382 delegates needed to win the nomination

[UWS]

The Washington Post
Michigan primary

Political Geography: Tales from the campaign trail

The East
Donald Trump hopes that his populist agenda will help him to win among manufacturing workers in the Detroit region where manufacturing jobs have been lost. He also seeks to win among Independents, a group that is likely to determine who will be the winner of the Michigan primary.
↓

Ted Cruz is enjoying a slow momentum due to his recent wins on Super Tuesday and in Kansas. He hopes to accelerate his momentum with a win in Michigan. His fate here may depend on whether he can further consolidate support among suburban and rural conservatives.
↘

↖↑↗

The South and the middle
Marco Rubio focused his efforts on Michigan's urban regions in the southern and center counties. He hopes to take advantage of Michigan's fiscal conservatives, a group he tries to attract with his recently unveiled plan to relaunch Detroit and to grow the American automobile industry. He also hopes to win among the Reagan Democrats, one of Michigan's important groups that helped the 40th President to win twice in landslides.

[UWS]

The Washington Post
Mississippi primary

Political Geography: Tales from the campaign trail

While it's unlikely Marco Rubio will carry the Magnolia State, he is hoping to come away with some delegates. In fact focused more efforts on Michigan and Idaho while some his surrogates campaigned for him in Hawaii. Rubio can benefit from his endorsements from Mississippi Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker.

Conservative core
Ted Cruz focused his efforts in Mississippi's rural regions of the east where he hopes to make a strong showing among evangelicals in order to propel him to victory in Mississippi.[/b]
↙

↗

Southern advantage
Fresh off his victories in Alabama and Louisiana, Donald Trump is hoping to make another gain in Mississippi where he disputes supremacy among evangelicals with Ted Cruz. He might benefit of his strong support among birthers, who think that President Obama is born in Kenya and think Senator Cruz is uneligible due to his birth in Canada.

[UWS]

MICHIGAN, MISSISSIPPI, IDAHO, HAWAII AND DEMOCRATS ABROAD PRIMARIES AND CAUCUSES, 2016

CNN America's Choice theme : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uvpd4myQXs

Wolf Blitzer : « Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I'm Wolf Blitzer from the CNN Election Center and tonight we are covering the primaries and caucuses in Michigan, Mississippi, Idaho, Hawaii and Democrats Abroad. »

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 8 pm and we can project that Donald Trump leads in Michigan by only four percentage points over Marco Rubio. He swept most of Michigan's northern counties. »

Michigan Republican primary (25 % reported) - 59 delegates

Donald Trump : 37 %      
Marco Rubio : 33 %
Ted Cruz : 18 %

Wolf Blitzer : « On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders in a close race in Michigan. »

Michigan Democratic primary (25 % reported) - 147 delegates

Hillary Clinton : 52 %
Bernie Sanders : 47 %

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 8 : 15 pm and Marco Rubio edged Donald Trump in Michigan after winning most of the Wolverine State's eastern counties, including the Wayne county (Detroit's location) and the Macomb county (home to Warren). His plan to relaunch Detroit and to grow the American automobile industry seems to be working to court Detroit's favor. The Florida Senator seems to do well among the Reagan Democrats. Donald Trump leads in the Genesee county (Flint's location). »

Michigan Republican primary (50 % reported) - 59 delegates

Marco Rubio : 36 %
Donald Trump : 35 %      
Ted Cruz : 19 %

Wolf Blitzer : « On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders gets closer and closer to Hillary Clinton. »

Michigan Democratic primary (50 % reported) - 147 delegates

Hillary Clinton : 49 %
Bernie Sanders : 48 %

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 8 : 30 pm and Marco Rubio wins most of Michigan's center and western counties, including the Ingham county (home to Lansing) and the Kent county (home to Grand Rapids). »

Michigan Republican primary (75 % reported) - 59 delegates

Marco Rubio : 40 %
Donald Trump : 32 %      
Ted Cruz : 20 %

Wolf Blitzer : « Bernie Sanders takes the lead. »

Michigan Democratic primary (75 % reported) - 147 delegates

Bernie Sanders : 49 %
Hillary Clinton : 48 %

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 8 : 45 pm and we can project that Marco Rubio wins the Michigan Republican primary. »

Michigan Republican primary (100 % reported) - 59 delegates

Marco Rubio : 44 % ✔ - 26 delegates
Donald Trump : 34 % - 18 delegates      
Ted Cruz : 22 % - 15 delegates

MARCO RUBIO WINS THE MICHIGAN REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

Wolf Blitzer : « Bernie Sanders is the winner of the Michigan Democratic primary. »

Michigan Democratic primary (100 % reported) - 147 delegates

Bernie Sanders : 52 % ✔ - 76 delegates
Hillary Clinton : 48 % - 71 delegates

BERNIE SANDERS WINS THE MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

Wolf Blitzer : « When it comes to the state of Mississippi, Donald Trump has a large lead over Ted Cruz. »

Mississippi Republican primary (25 % reported) - 40 delegates

Donald Trump : 40 %
Ted Cruz : 31 %   
Marco Rubio : 17 %

Wolf Blitzer : « On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton leads big in Mississippi. »

Mississippi Democratic primary (25 % reported) - 41 delegates

Hillary Clinton : 69 %
Bernie Sanders : 13 %

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 9 pm and Donald Trump increased his lead in Mississippi after winning the Madison county (Jackson's location). »

Mississippi Republican primary (50 % reported) - 40 delegates

Donald Trump : 43 %
Ted Cruz : 33 %   
Marco Rubio : 18 %

Mississippi Democratic primary (50 % reported) - 41 delegates

Hillary Clinton : 73 %
Bernie Sanders : 15 %

9 : 15 pm

Mississippi Republican primary (75 % reported) - 40 delegates

Donald Trump : 44 %
Ted Cruz : 33 %   
Marco Rubio : 19 %

Mississippi Democratic primary (75 % reported) - 41 delegates

Hillary Clinton : 76 %
Bernie Sanders : 16 %

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 9 : 30 pm. Donald Trump wins the Mississippi Republican primary. »

Mississippi Republican primary (100 % reported) - 40 delegates

Donald Trump : 46 % ✔ - 23 delegates
Ted Cruz : 34 % - 12 delegates   
Marco Rubio : 20 % - 5 delegates

DONALD TRUMP WINS THE MISSISSIPPI REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

Mississippi Democratic primary (100 % reported) - 41 delegates

Hillary Clinton : 81 % ✔ - 33 delegates
Bernie Sanders : 19 % - 8 delegates

HILLARY CLINTON WINS THE MISSISSIPPI DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

Anderson Cooper : « Let's go West, Marco Rubio leads in the state of Idaho by four percentage points. »

Idaho Republican caucuses (25 % reported) - 32 delegates

Marco Rubio : 39 %
Ted Cruz : 35 %   
Donald Trump : 24 %

John King : « It's 9 : 45 pm. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are sharing dominance in Idaho's western counties, but the Florida Senator wins the Ada county (Boise's location) and the Canyon county (home to Nampa). »

Idaho Republican caucuses (50 % reported) - 32 delegates

Marco Rubio : 42 %
Ted Cruz : 35 %   
Donald Trump : 20 %

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 10 pm. Marco Rubio wins most of Idaho's eastern counties, including the Bonneville county (Idaho Falls' location) and the Bannock county (Pocatello's location). This most be due to Rubio's strong support among the local Mormon population. »

Idaho Republican caucuses (75 % reported) - 32 delegates

Marco Rubio : 46 %
Ted Cruz : 32 %   
Donald Trump : 22 %

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 10 : 15 pm. Marco Rubio wins the Idaho Republican caucuses and all the 32 delegates. »

Idaho Republican caucuses (100 % reported) - 32 delegates

Marco Rubio : 45 % ✔ - 32 delegates
Ted Cruz : 33 % - 0 delegate   
Donald Trump : 22 % - 0 delegate

MARCO RUBIO WINS THE IDAHO REPUBLICAN CAUCUSES

Anderson Cooper : « It's 11 pm. Bernie Sanders wins the Democrats Abroad primary. »

Democrats Abroad primary (100 % reported) - 17 delegates

Bernie Sanders : 70 % ✔ - 12 delegates
Hillary Clinton : 30 % - 5 delegates

BERNIE SANDERS WINS THE DEMOCRATS ABROAD PRIMARY


John King : « And finally in Hawaii, the birth state of incumbent President Barack Obama. Marco Rubio leads largely in Hawaii. »

Hawaii Republican caucuses (25 % reported) - 19 delegates

Marco Rubio : 39 %
Donald Trump : 32 %      
Ted Cruz : 15 %

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 11 : 15 pm and Marco Rubio wins in Honolulu. »

Hawaii Republican caucuses (50 % reported) - 19 delegates

Marco Rubio : 42 %
Donald Trump : 33 %      
Ted Cruz : 16 %

Anderson Cooper : « It's 11 : 30 pm and Marco Rubio maintains his lead. »

Hawaii Republican caucuses (75 % reported) - 19 delegates

Marco Rubio : 44 %
Donald Trump : 33 %      
Ted Cruz : 17 %

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 11 : 45 pm and Marco Rubio wins the Hawaii Republican caucuses. »

Hawaii Republican caucuses (100 % reported) - 19 delegates

Marco Rubio : 46 % ✔ - 12 delegates
Donald Trump : 35 % - 6 delegates      
Ted Cruz : 19 % - 1 delegate

MARCO RUBIO WINS THE HAWAII REPUBLICAN CAUCUSES

Wolf Blitzer : « We'll see you again in 2 days for the coverage of the U.S. Virgin Islands Republican caucuses. »

[UWS]

Republican Presidential Primaries - Map and Delegates Count

Marco Rubio : 430 delegates
Donald Trump : 324 delegates
Ted Cruz : 273 delegates
Ben Carson : 7 delegates
Jeb Bush : 4 delegates
John Kasich : 1 delegate
Carly Fiorina : 1 delegate
Rand Paul : 1 delegate
Mike Huckabee : 1 delegate
Chris Christie : 0 delegate
Rick Santorum : 0 delegate
Jim Gilmore : 0 delegate

2472 delegates in total
1237 delegates needed to win the nomination

Democratic Presidential Primaries - Map and Delegates Count

Hillary Clinton : 861 delegates
Bernie Sanders : 639 delegates
Martin O'Malley : 0 delegate
      
4763 delegates in total
2382 delegates needed to win the nomination

[UWS]

CNN
Michigan Republican primary exit polls

Gender

                      Men (53 %)               Women (47 %)

Cruz                  20 %                          29 %
Rubio                39 %                            44 %
Trump               41 %                            27 %

Age

                     18-29 (14 %)              30-44 (21 %)         45-64 (40 %)         65 and older (25 %)

Cruz                  20 %                           30 %                      20 %                     24 %
Rubio               47 %                            40 %                      41 %                      36 %
Trump                28 %                            29 %                       39 %                      39 %

Race

                   White (93 %)                       Non-white (7 %)                   
Cruz                  24 %                                      n/a                                                                 
Rubio                40 %                            n/a                                             
Trump              36 %                                       n/a
               
Ideology

       Very conservative (28 %)       Somewhat conservative (47 %)         Moderate (22 %)         
Cruz                  38 %                           21 %                                                  12 %                           
Rubio                26 %                           44 %                                                   51 %                     
Trump               36 %                       35 %                                                  37 %

Party identification

           Democrats (7 %)       Republicans (62 %)         Independents (31 %)         
Cruz                  n/a                        27 %                                                  19 %                           
Rubio                n/a                           39 %                                                   46 %                     
Trump               n/a                       34 %                                                  35 %


Most important issue

             Immigration (8 %)         Economy/Jobs (35 %)         Terrorism (21 %)        Govt. spending (32 %)

Cruz                  21 %                           17 %                           24 %                       31 %
Rubio                17 %                            47 %                        40 %                      41 %
Trump               62 %                            36 %                         36 %                       28 %

Top candidate quality

                   Electability (11 %)          Shares my values (34 %)    Tells it like it is (23 %)  Can bring change (30 %)

Cruz                  26 %                           35 %                                        14 %                        22 %
Rubio                43 %                            52 %                                      21 %                         35 %
Trump               31 %                            13 %                                     65 %                         43 %

CNN
Mississippi Republican primary exit polls

Gender

                      Men (50 %)               Women (50 %)

Cruz                  31 %                          36 %
Rubio                20 %                            20 %
Trump               49 %                            44 %

Age

                     18-29 (12 %)              30-44 (18 %)         45-64 (43 %)         65 and older (28 %)

Cruz                  36 %                           43 %                      36 %                     32 %
Rubio               19 %                            18 %                      16 %                      14 %
Trump                45 %                            39 %                       48 %                      54 %

Race

                   White (93 %)                       Non-white (7 %)                   
Cruz                  36 %                                      n/a                                                                 
Rubio                15 %                                       n/a                                             
Trump              49 %                              n/a
               
Ideology

       Very conservative (47 %)       Somewhat conservative (47 %)         Moderate (15 %)         
Cruz                  49 %                    26 %                                                  23 %                           
Rubio                10 %                               20 %                                                  25 %                       
Trump               41 %                               54 %                                                  52 %

Most important issue

             Immigration (11 %)         Economy/Jobs (29 %)         Terrorism (25 %)        Govt. spending (30 %)

Cruz                  36 %                           35 %                           41 %                       37 %
Rubio                7 %                            17 %                        17 %                      17 %
Trump               57 %                            48 %                         42 %                      46 %

Top candidate quality

                   Electability (12 %)          Shares my values (31 %)    Tells it like it is (22 %) Can bring change (34 %)

Cruz                  34 %                           66 %                                        9 %                        28 %
Rubio                19 %                 22 %                                      7 %                         16 %
Trump               47 %                            12 %                                     84 %                         56 %

[UWS]

Marco Rubio's victory speech in Detroit, Michigan

Thank you my friends, thank you for this great night, thank you Michigan.

Our automobile industry is one of the things that makes America great. But this industry is in danger, so I proposed solutions to relaunch it and get our economy working again through tax cuts, energy independence and free trade promotion. I listened to your concerns and I came to the top.

Next week, several important primary contests will be held, including my home state of Florida. Ohio will also determine this race because no single Republican nominee since 1964 won the White House without carrying Ohio, so if we win Ohio, we will demonstrate that I am clearly the best candidate to beat Hillary Clinton on November. And finally Illinois, the home state of President Obama whose eight years at the White House were disastrous for America : weak economic growth, growing terrorist threat and reinforced tyranny around the world and deeper division among the American people. After eight years of Barack Obama, we need to bring change in this nation, to fix America and to make the world safer. So we have to keep it up to propel us to the nomination.

If I'm the Republican nominee, we will make one of our best performances among ethnic minorities, because I understand their struggles, because I lived the American Dream. If I'm President of the United States, every single American will prosper, including ethnic minorities. Under a Rubio administration, we will reform our immigration system in order to offer immigrants a path to citizenship and help them accomplishing the American Dream on the land of opportunity. Through job creation, wages will increase, including for ethnic minorities. We will reform our education system through school choice for the sake of our children's social success. We need to promote school choice, which will cost families, including these immigrant families living paycheck to paycheck, less and produce higher outcomes compared to public education. It will grant parents the power to orientate their children out of poorly-performing schools assigned by zip code and look for better education elsewhere. It will expand opportunities for low-income students—especially minorities—to attend high-quality schools that would otherwise be accessible only to higher-income families, thus increasing their chances of success and of entry into the workforce. By promoting free trade with Latin America, we will give our businesses, including Hispanic small businesses in the United States thanks to language opportunities and their fluency in Spanish and English, new opportunities to innovate, to increase their competitiveness, to get new consumers by giving them access to American products, to create jobs in our country and ensure their business' expansion here and around the world. Thanks to their bilingualism, Hispanics will be dominant among the importers, exporters, translators and executives who ensure such a cultural and commercial exchange. And like I said, our innovation and competition capacity comes from our open markets as well as our constant quest for new markets.

Let's keep fighting for this bright future for America by sending this message all across this country. We will win big on mini Super Tuesday next week and that means that America will win.

Thank you. God bless the United States of America.

[UWS]

On the campaign trail

New endorsements

Ahead of mini Super Tuesday on March 15, Florida Senator Marco Rubio scored many new major endorsements. He received an endorsement from Ohio Governor John Kasich, one of his former rivals for the Republican nomination. Kasich explained during a rally in Cleveland that Rubio is « the only one candidate who can beat Hillary Clinton and finally put in place a conservative agenda that will bring America back on track. » He even said « no Republican nominee has won the White House without carrying Ohio since 50 years. I will help Marco Rubio to win this great state both in the primary and on the general election. That's how we're going to win. »

Rubio is also endorsed by Ohio Senator Rob Portman and by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner as well. Rauner claimed : « I am from President Obama's home state of Illinois and after eight years of weak leadership that contributed to stronger terrorist threat, slow economic growth and national division, we need to bring change to this country and Marco Rubio will bring such change. »

Donald Trump received Illinois Senator Mark Kirk's endorsement and also won Alabama Senator Richard Shelby's support.

[UWS]

New polls

Nationwide polls

Republicans

Marco Rubio : 44 %
Donald Trump : 36 %
Ted Cruz : 19 %

Democrats

Hillary Clinton : 48 %
Bernie Sanders : 40 %
Undecided : 12 %

Florida polls

Republicans

Marco Rubio : 41 %
Donald Trump : 31 %
Ted Cruz : 16 %
Undecided : 12 %

Democrats

Hillary Clinton : 61 %
Bernie Sanders : 34 %
Undecided : 5 %

Illinois polls

Republicans

Marco Rubio : 38 %
Donald Trump : 32 %
Ted Cruz : 22 %
Undecided : 8 %

Democrats

Hillary Clinton : 51 %
Bernie Sanders : 45 %
Undecided : 4 %

Ohio polls

Republicans

Marco Rubio : 45 %
Donald Trump : 31 %
Ted Cruz : 19 %
Undecided : 5 %

Democrats

Hillary Clinton : 58 %
Bernie Sanders : 38 %
Undecided : 4 %

Missouri polls

Republicans

Donald Trump : 29 %
Marco Rubio : 24 %
Ted Cruz : 19 %

Democrats

Hillary Clinton : 44 %
Bernie Sanders : 40 %
Undecided : 16 %

North Carolina polls

Republicans

Donald Trump : 46 %
Ted Cruz : 28 %
Marco Rubio : 24 %
Undecided : 2 %

Democrats

Hillary Clinton : 58 %
Bernie Sanders : 34 %
Undecided : 8 %

General election polls

Hillary Clinton vs Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio : 50 %
Hillary Clinton : 46 %

Hillary Clinton vs Ted Cruz

Hillary Clinton : 50 %
Ted Cruz : 47 %

Hillary Clinton vs Donald Trump

Hillary Clinton : 52 %
Donald Trump: 40 %

Bernie Sanders vs Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio : 51 %
Bernie Sanders : 47 %

Bernie Sanders vs Ted Cruz

Bernie Sanders : 57 %
Ted Cruz : 43 %

Bernie Sanders vs Donald Trump

Bernie Sanders : 57 %
Donald Trump : 35 %

[UWS]

Marco Rubio's campaign schedule ahead of mini Super Tuesday
Part 1

March 9, 2016

-Flight to Tampa, Florida
-Meet with college voters at the University of Tampa in Tampa, FL
-Rally at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL
-Rally at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL, alongside Jeb Bush
-Counter-terrorism policy speech at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, FL
-Economic policy speech at the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, FL
-Rally at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL
-Speech at Tampa Museum of Art in Tampa, FL
-Meet with college voters at the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL
-Energy policy speech at Big Bend Power Station in Tampa, FL
-Fundraising event at Tampa Museum of Art in Tampa, FL
-Foreign policy speech at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, FL
-Barnstorm in St. Petersburg, FL
-Bus trip to Orlando, FL
-Speech at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL
-Speech about Cuba's future in Orlando, FL
-Supper with voters at Darden Restaurants headquarters in Orlando, FL
-Foreign policy speech in Orlando, FL
-Rally at the Amway Center in Orlando, FL
-Meet with college voters at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL
-Debate preparation

March 10, 2016

-Economic and space policy speech at the Vehicle Assembly Building in Merritt Island, FL, reiterating Rubio's plan for space exploration
-Speech at the Republican National Hispanic Assembly in Mascotte, FL
-Rally at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, FL
-Foreign policy speech at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Jacksonville, FL, where Rubio slams Trump for his lack of foreign policy experience
-National security policy speech at the Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, FL
-Speech at the Museum of Science & History in Jacksonville, FL
-Meet with college voters at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, FL
-Economic policy speech at the Tallahassee Automobile Museum in Tallahassee, FL
-Meet with college voters at the Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL
-Speech at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, FL, in an effort to woo African-American voters
-Fundraising event at FSU's Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, FL
-Veteran policy speech at the Tallahassee Vietnam War Memorial facing the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, FL
-Foreign policy speech at the Florida Korean War Memorial in Tallahassee, FL
-Freedom of religion policy speech at St. Peter's Anglican Chirch in Tallahassee, FL
-Immigration policy speech in Tallahassee, FL
-Rally at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, FL
-Flight to Miami, FL
-Debate preparation
-Marco Rubio debates with Donald Trump and Ted Cruz at the University of Miami in Miami, FL

March 11, 2016

-Barnstorm in Little Havana in Miami, FL, in an effort to attract Hispanic voters
-Meet with college voters at the University of Miami in Miami, FL
-Speech at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, FL
-Fundraising event at American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL
-Immigration policy speech in Miami, FL
-Free trade policy speech at the Port of Miami in Miami, FL
-Supper with the voters at Tony Roma's facility in Miami, FL
-Speech at South Florida Hispanic Chamber in Miami, FL
-Speech at Miami Beach Hispanic Community Center in Miami, FL
-Speech at the Freedom Tower in Miami, FL
-Fundraising event at the Four Seasons Hotel and Tower in Miami, FL
-Flight to Cleveland, Ohio
-Speech at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Cleveland, OH
-Marco Rubio barnstorms across the West 25th Street in Cleveland, OH, in an effort to attract Hispanic voters.
-Speech at the African American Cultural Garden in Cleveland, OH, in an effort to woo African-American voters.
-Economic policy speech at Cliffs Natural Resources headquarters in Cleveland, OH
-Space policy speech at Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH
-Meet with college voters at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH
-Dinner with voters at the West Side Market in Cleveland, OH
-Speech at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH
-Foreign policy speech at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, OH
-Rally at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, OH, alongside John Kasich :


Marco Rubio and I were opponents. Now I'm endorsing him because I like him and because he is our best chance of winning the White House. Just like I did under my watch as Governor of Ohio, Marco Rubio will diversify our economy by increasing oil drilling and production and use a part of revenues from oil drilling to develop renewable energies, thus ensuring the environment's protection while encouraging economic growth and job creation.

As a former member of the House Armed Services Committee, I know that Marco Rubio will keep us safe by modernizing and reinforcing our military, consolidating and expanding our alliances, defeat terrorism through military strength, promote freedom and democracy, stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons and supporting terrorism and restore international territorial integrity.

Ohio has always been the key to the White House. We must win this state at all costs. That's why I will campaign for Marco Rubio all across Ohio and I will help him to win this state and its 18 great electors, thus making him the next President of the United States of America. Every vote, especially here in Ohio, counts so I'm asking for your vote in favor of Marco Rubio, the leader for the 21st century.

Thank you. God bless you and God bless America.

-Trade policy at the Port of Cleveland in Cleveland, OH
-Energy policy speech at NACCO Industries Inc. headquarters in Cleveland, OH
-Fundraising event at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, OH
-Speech at the James A. Garfield Memorial in Cleveland, OH
-Meet with college voters at the University of Toledo in Cleveland, OH, where the Florida Senator manages to recruit several young volunteers
-Economic policy speech at Jeep headquarters in Toledo, OH
-Rally at the Huntington Center in Toledo, OH, alongside Rob Portman

March 12, 2016

-Breakfast with voters at Tony Packo's Cafe in Toledo, OH
-Foreign policy speech at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH
-Rally with voters at Nutter Center in Dayton, OH
-Meet with college voters at the University of Dayton in Dayton, OH
-Bus trip to Columbus, OH
-Education policy speech in Columbus, OH
-Manufacturing policy speech in Columbus, OH
-Meet with college voters at the Ohio State University in Columbus, OH
-Rally at the Ohio Stadium in Columbus, OH
-Speech at Southern Theatre in Columbus, OH
-Economic policy speech at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH
-Speech at Columbus Museum of Art in Columbus, OH
-Agricultural speech at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Columbus, OH
-Bus trip to Cincinnati, OH
-Speech at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, OH, in an effort to attract African-American voters
-Meet with college voters at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, OH
-Freedom of religion speech at the Isaac M. Wise Temple in Cincinnati, OH, in an effort to woo Jewish voters
-Speech at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati, OH
-Rally with voters at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, OH
-Barnstorm in Sharonville, OH
-Economic policy speech at Sharonville Transmission in Sharonville, OH
-Flight to Cleveland, OH
-Rally at the Fountain of Eternal Life in Cleveland, OH
-Fundraising event at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, OH
-Economic policy speech at the General Tire and Rubber Company headquarters in Akron, OH
-Meet with college voters at the University of Akron in Akron, OH
-Energy policy speech at FirstEnergy Corporation headquarters in Akron, OH
-Economic policy speech before college voters at the University of Akron College of Business Administration in Akron, OH
-Fundraising event at the Goodyear Polymer Center in Akron, OH
-Speech at the Akron-Summit Public Library in Akron, OH
-Flight to Chicago, Illinois
-Supper with voters at the O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, IL
-Watch the coverage of the Republican caucuses in Wyoming, Washington D.C. and Guam

[UWS]

Marco Rubio's campaign schedule ahead of mini Super Tuesday
Part 2

March 13, 2016

-Fundraising event at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, IL
-Counterterrorism policy speech before the Willis Tower in Chicago, IL
-Foreign policy speech at the University of Chicago in Chicago, IL
-Rally at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, IL
-Trade policy speech at the Port of Chicago in Chicago, IL
-Economic policy speech at the Chicago Board of Trade Building in Chicago, IL
-Rally at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, IL, with Iowa Senator Joni Ernst
-Supper with voters at Uno Chicago Grill in Chicago, IL
-Speech at the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago, IL
-Energy policy speech at Integrys Energy Group headquarters in Chicago, IL
-Florida Senator Marco Rubio barnstorms in Chicago, IL, to woo ethnic minority voters, especially Hispanic voters, African-American voters and Asian-American voters
-Rally at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL, alongside Governor Bruce Rauner
-Fundraising event at Penn National Gaming facility in Aurora, IL
-Speech at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, IL
-Rally at Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, IL
-Agriculture policy speech before the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, IL
-Economic policy speech at Caterpillar headquarters in Peoria, IL
-Meet with college voters at Bradley University in Peoria, IL, where Senator Rubio managed to recruit several young volunteers
-Speech at the Coronado Theatre in Rockford, IL
-Barnstorm in Rockford, IL
-Bus trip to Springfield, IL
-Speech at the Lincoln Tomb in Springfield, IL, where Marco Rubio praises Abraham Lincoln's heritage and gives an effort to woo African-American voters
-Infrastructure policy speech in Springfield, IL
-American Dream policy speech at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, IL

March 14, 2016

-Bus trip to Rock Island, IL
-Foreign policy speech at Rock Island Arsenal headquarters in Rock Island, IL
-Fundraising event at Jumer's Casino & Hotel in Rock Island, IL
-Barnstorm in Rock Island, IL
-Flight to Charlotte, North Carolina
-Energy policy speech at Duke Energy headquarters in Charlotte, NC
-Rally at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC
-Meet with college voters at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, NC
-Speech at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC
-Speech at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture in Charlotte, NC
-Size of government speech in Charlotte, NC
-Flight to Orlando, FL
-Foreign Policy Speech at Naval Support Activity Orlando at the Central Florida Research Park in Orlando, FL
-Immigration policy speech in Orlando, FL

March 15, 2016

-Barnstorm in Jacksonville, FL
-Barnstorm in Tallahassee, FL
-Barnstorm in Tampa, FL
-Barnstorm in Miami, FL
-Marco Rubio votes for himself ahead of the Florida primary
-Rally with supporters at the Four Seasons Hotel and Tower in Miami, FL, to watch the development of the voting results of mini Super Tuesday

[UWS]

Twelvth Republican presidential primary debate
Part 1

Date : March 10, 2016

Place : University of Miami in Miami, Florida

Host : CNN

CNN America's Choice theme : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uvpd4myQXs

Moderators :  Jake Tapper, Dana Bash and James Dinan

Podium order based on the candidates' standing in the polls :

Cruz    Rubio   Trump

Jake Tapper : If elected, will you support free trade deals even if it means the inevitable loss of U.S. jobs?

Marco Rubio : No, I support free trade deals that are good for America. We're 5 percent of the world's population. If all we do is sell things to each other, we can only sell to 5 percent of the people on earth. We have to have access to the hundreds of millions of people in the world today who can afford to buy things.
 
The problem is we're a low-tariff country. To import something into the United States is not very expensive, but many of these countries we can't export to because their tariffs are too high. And so I am in favor of deals that allow us to bring down those tariffs so that America can sell things to all these people around the world.
   
There are good trade deals and there are bad ones. So for example, here in Florida, we have benefited from the free trade deal with Colombia. It's allowed flower exporters to come into the United States but it's created jobs for hundreds of people who are now delivering those flowers and working in that industry. We have a surplus with Colombia. Even if India is not a member of TPP, Florida’s $1 billion annual exports to India represent a reason why trade ties with India’s and Asia's large and growing markets matter to Americans.

On the other hand, you've seen trade deals like in Mexico that have been less than promising in some aspects, better in others. Bottom line is I believe that America, if given access to foreign markets, our workers are the most productive in the world, our people are the most innovative on this planet. If it is a free and fair trade deal, we can compete against anyone in the world, and we need to in the 21st century.

[...]

Jake Tapper : Mr. Trump, let me start with you. Last night, you told CNN quote, "Islam hates us?" Did you mean all 1.6 billion Muslims.

Donald Trump : I mean a lot of them.
Jake Tapper : Do you want to clarify the comment at all?

Donald Trump : Well, you know, I've been watching the debate today. And they're talking about radical Islamic terrorism or radical Islam. But I will tell you this. There's something going on that maybe you don't know about, maybe a lot of other people don't know about, but there's tremendous hatred. And I will stick with exactly what I said to Anderson Cooper.

James Dinan : Senator Rubio, your supporter Republican Senator Jeff Flake said in response to that comment, Republicans are better than this. Do you agree?

Marco Rubio : Well, let me say, I know that a lot of people find appeal in the things Donald says cause he says what people wish they could say. The problem is, presidents can't just say anything they want. It has consequences, here and around the world. And so let me give you one. Two days ago, I met this extraordinary couple who were on furlough because they are missionaries in Bangladesh. It's a very tough place to be a missionary. It's Muslim. And their safety and security very much relies upon friendly Muslims that live along side them, that may not convert, but protect them and certainly look out for them. And their mission field really are Muslims that are looking to convert to Christianity as well. And they tell me that today they have a very hostile environment in which to operate in because the news is coming out that in America, leading political figures are saying that America doesn't like Muslims. So this is a real impact. There's no doubt that radical Islam is a danger in the world.

I can also tell you if you go to any national cemetery, especially Arlington, you're going to see crescent moons there. If you go anywhere in the world you're going see American men and women serving us in uniform that are Muslims.

(APPLAUSE)
   
And they love America. And as far as I know, no one on this stage has served in uniform in the United States military. Anyone out there that has the uniform of the United States on and is willing to die for this country is someone that loves America. No matter what their religious background may be.

(APPLAUSE)

Donald Trump : Marco talks about consequences. Well, we've had a lot of consequences, including airplanes flying into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and could have been the White House. There have been a lot of problems.
 
Now you can say what you want, and you can be politically correct if you want. I don't want to be so politically correct. I like to solve problems. We have a serious, serious problem of hate. There is tremendous hate. There is tremendous hate. Where large portions of a group of people, Islam, large portions want to use very, very harsh means. Let me go a step further. Women are treated horribly. You know that. You do know that. Women are treated horribly, and other things are happening that are very, very bad. Now I will say this, there is tremendous hatred. The question was asked, what do you think? I said, there is hatred. Now it would be very easy for me to say something differently. And everybody would say, oh, isn't that wonderful. We better solve the problem before it's too late.

Marco Rubio : Well, here we go. See, I'm not interested in being politically correct. I'm not interested in being politically correct. I'm interested in being correct.

(APPLAUSE)

And in order to be correct on this issue, here's the bottom line. We do work. There is - Islam has a major problem on its hands. It has a significant percentage of its adherents, particular in the Sunni faith but also in the Shia, who have been radicalized. And are willing to fly planes into a building and kill innocent people.

There is no doubt about that. It is also true if you look around the world at the challenges we face, we are going to have to work together with other - with Muslims, who do not - who are not radicals. We're going to have to work with the Jordanian kingdom.
We're going to have to work with the Saudis. We're going to have to work with the Gulf kingdoms. We're going to have to work with the Egyptians to defeat, for example, ISIS.

It will take a Sunni Arab movement to defeat them. And so I think you can be correct without meaning to be politically correct. We are going to have to work with people of the Muslim faith even as Islam itself faces a serious crisis within it of radicalization.

[UWS]

Twelvth Republican presidential primary debate
Part 2

Date : March 10, 2016

Place : University of Miami in Miami, Florida

Host : CNN

CNN America's Choice theme : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uvpd4myQXs

Moderators :  Jake Tapper, Dana Bash and James Dinan

Podium order based on the candidates' standing in the polls :

Cruz    Rubio   Trump

Jake Tapper : Mr. Trump, I want to ask you about something else you've said during the course of this campaign. You said that the U.S. has to, quote, "take out" the families of terrorists. When it was pointed out that targeting civilians is against the Geneva Conventions, you said, quote, "So they can kill us, but we can't kill them?"

It is against federal, military and international law to target civilians. So how will you order the military to target the families of suspected terrorists, while also abiding by the law?

Donald Trump : Let me go back to the other just for a second. In large mosques, all over the Middle East, you have people chanting "death to the USA." Now, that does not sound like a friendly act to me.

As far as the families are concerned, and as far as the law is concerned, we have a law - this all started with your question on water boarding. We have a law that doesn't allow right now water boarding. They have no laws. They have no rules. They have no regulations. They chop off heads. They drown 40, 50, 60 people at a time in big steel cages, pull them up an hour later, everyone dead. And we're working on a different set of parameters.

Now, we have to obey the laws. Have to obey the laws. But we have to expand those laws, because we have to be able to fight on at least somewhat of an equal footing or we will never ever knock out ISIS and all of the others that are so bad.

We better expand our laws or we're being a bunch of suckers, and they are laughing at us. They are laughing at us, believe me.

Jake Tapper : Senator Rubio, would you as president pursue a policy of targeting the families of suspected terrorists?

Marco Rubio : No, of course not. And we don't have to in order to defeat terrorists. The way you defeat terrorists is pretty straightforward. It's difficult to do, but it has to be done. When I'm president of the United States, the best intelligence agencies in the world that right now have been hamstrung. They're going to be expanded. And the best intelligence agencies in the world are going to find terrorists.

And then the best military in the world, which needs to be rebuilt because - because Barack Obama is gutting our military. He's going to leave us with the smallest Army since the end of World War II, and the smallest Navy in a century, and the smallest Air Force we've ever had.

We are going to rebuild that military and that military is going to find the terrorists and destroy them. And if we capture any of these terrorists alive, they're not going to have the right to remain silent. And they're not going to go to a courtroom in Manhattan. They're going to go to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and we will find out everything they know and we'll do so legally.

Jake Tapper : Senator Cruz, you've talked about changing the rules of engagement in battle against ISIS. Would that include targeting the families of suspected terrorists?

Ted Cruz : No, of course not. We've never targeted innocent civilians and we're not going to start now. But listen, Jake, I understand. People are scared and for seven years, we've faced terrorist attacks and President Obama lectures Americans on Islamophobia. That is maddening.
But the answer is not simply to yell, "China bad, Muslims bad." You've got to understand the nature of the threats we're facing and how you deal with them. And yes, it is true there are millions of radical Islamic terrorists who seek to kill us. We need a president, commander in chief focused on fighting them.

And I'll tell you, frankly one concern I have with Donald is that although his language is quite incendiary, when you look at his substantive policies on Iran, he has said he would not rip up this Iranian nuclear deal. I think that's a mistake.

The Ayatollah Khomeini wants nuclear weapons to murder us. I'll give you another example, dealing with Islamic radical terrorism. On Israel, Donald has said he wants to be neutral between Israel and the Palestinians.

As president, I will not be neutral. And let me say this week, a Texan, Taylor Force. He was an Eagle Scout, he was a West Point graduate, he was an Army veteran. He was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist this week in Israel, and I don't think we need a commander in chief who is neutral between the Palestinian terrorists and one of our strongest allies in the world, the nation of Israel.

Jake Tapper : Senator Rubio, according to a V.A. study, of the 22 veterans who commit suicide every day, 17 of them have no connection to the V.A. The V.A. believes that this lack of connection is one of the reasons for this tragically high suicide rate.

What specifically would you do as president to make sure that veterans in crisis are able to get the help they need?

Marco Rubio : Well, first let me say that one out of four calls to our office is about a veteran here in Florida that's struggling with the V.A. my brother is a veteran. He's struggling with the V.A.
The other day, we heard this horrible story. It was a headline in USA Today, and it said, "Calls to the V.A. Suicide Hotline Went to Voicemail." Well, about a few days ago, we now found out that one of the gentlemen - one of the veterans who left a voicemail committed suicide. And they happened to call him back the day after he died.

People need to be held accountable for this. One of the things I'm proudest of is that in my time in the U.S. Senate working with Jeff Miller here from Florida in a bipartisan way, and I'll give him credit - Bernie Sanders was a part of this - we passed a V.A. accountability bill. And what it did is it created now a law that gives the V.A. secretary, because of the law I passed, it gives the V.A. secretary the power to fire people that aren't doing a good job.

Senior executives should be held accountable if the V.A. outreach isn't working. The problem is no one's being held accountable. Even after we passed that law, no one's been fired for no outreach. No one's been fired for calls going to the voicemail. No one's been disciplined. No one's been demoted.

When I'm president of the United States, if you work at the V.A. and you are not doing a good job, you will be fired from your job at the V.A.

(APPLAUSE)

[UWS]

Twelvth Republican presidential primary debate
Part 3

Date : March 10, 2016

Place : University of Miami in Miami, Florida

Host : CNN

CNN America's Choice theme : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uvpd4myQXs

Moderators :  Jake Tapper, Dana Bash and James Dinan

Podium order based on the candidates' standing in the polls :

Cruz    Rubio   Trump

Dana Bash : Senator Rubio, Donald Trump agrees with President Obama in his decision to reengage diplomatically in Cuba. The majority of Americans seem to agree with that as well. So why are President Obama, Donald Trump and the majority of Americans wrong?
   
Marco Rubio : Well, I would love the relationship between Cuba and the United States to change. But it will require Cuba to change, at least its government. Today, it has not. The fact of the matter is that after these changes were made - after these changes were made, there are now millions and hundreds of millions of dollars that will flow to the Castro regime.

It will now allow them to become set permanent and in stone. They will now be able to carry out a transition where the military continues to run the country there. They'll put a puppet figure forward as their new president. And nothing will change for the Cuban people.

There has not been a single democratic opening; not a single change on the island in human rights. In fact, things are worse than they were before this opening. The only thing that's changed as a result of this opening is that now the Cuban government has more sources of money from which to build out their repressive apparatus and maintain themselves there permanently.

And we asked nothing in return. Compare that to the changes that were required in Burma. And by no means is Burma a perfect country. But at least when there was a democratic opening to Burma, they were required to make some democratic openings. When there was a diplomatic opening, it required democratic opening. And today, the former minority party is now the majority party in their legislative body.

He asked nothing in return and we are getting nothing in return. And Cuba and its regime remains an anti-American communist dictatorship, helped North Korea evade U.N. sanctions. It's harboring fugitives of American justice, including people stealing our Medicare money and moving back to Cuba, all in exchange for nothing.

(APPLAUSE)

Dana Bash : Mr. Trump, you said the concept of opening Cuba is fine. You said the concept of opening Cuba is fine. Why do you agree with President Obama and disagree with what Senator Rubio just said?

Donald Trump : Well, I don't really agree with President Obama. I think I'm somewhere in the middle. What I want is I want a much better deal to be made because right now, Cuba is making - as usual with our country, we don't make good deal. We don't have our right people negotiating, we have people that don't have a clue.
 
As an example, I heard recently where the threat was made that they want reparations for years of abuse by the United States, and nobody's talking about it and they'll end up signing a deal and then we'll get sued for $400 billion or $1 trillion.

All that stuff has to be agreed to now. We don't want to get sued after the deal is made. So I don't agree with President Obama, I do agree something should be - should take place. After 50 years, it's enough time, folks. But we have to make a good deal and we have to get rid of all the litigation that's going to happen.

This was just a little story but it was a big story to me because I said oh, here we go, we make a deal, then get sued for a tremendous amount of money for reparations. So I want to do something, but it's got to be done intelligently. We have to make good deal.

I would want to make a good deal, I would want to make a strong, solid, good deal because right now, everything is in Cuba's favor. Right now, everything, every single aspect of this deal is in Cuba's favor. It the same way as the Iran deal. We never walked - we never - all we do is keep giving. We give and give and give.

Dana Bash : But Mr. Trump, just to be clear, there is an embassy that you would have to decide whether it would be open or whether you would close it. Which would it be? In Havana.

Donald Trump : I would probably have the embassy closed until such time as a really good deal was made and struck by the United States.

Marco Rubio : All right, first of all, the embassy is the former consulate. It's the same building. So it could just go back to being called a consulate. We don't have to close it that way. Second of all, I don't know where Cuba is going to use, but if they sue us in a court in Miami, they're going to lose.

Third, on the issue of a good deal, I know what the good deal. I'll tell you what the good deal now, it's already codified. Here's a good deal - Cuba has free elections, Cuba stops putting people in jail for speaking out, Cuba has freedom of the press, Cuba kicks out the Russians from Lourdes (ph) and kicks out the Chinese listening station in Berupal (ph) Cuba stops helping North Korea evade U.N. sanctions, Cuba takes all of those fugitives of America justice, including that cop killer from New Jersey, and send her back to the United States and to jail where she belongs. And you know what? Then we can have a relationship with Cuba. That's a good deal.


Dana Bash : Thank you, Senator Rubio. Senator Cruz, if you become president, would you reverse course and once again break diplomatic relations with Cuba?

Ted Cruz : Yes, I would. And you know, I think this exchange actually highlights a real choice for Republican primary voters. When it comes to foreign policy, do you want to continue on the same basic trajectory as the last seven years of the Obama foreign policy? When it comes to these deals, Cuba and Iran, they were negotiated by Hillary Clinton and John Kerry.

There's a real difference between us. Donald supported Hillary Clinton and gave her two checks her a presidential campaign in 2008. Donald supported John Kerry over George W. Bush in 2004. And what he said right now is that he agrees in principle with what Hillary Clinton and John Kerry are doing. The only thing Donald thinks is that they should negotiate a little bit better deals, they should be more effective. I have a fundamental disagreement and I think most Republicans and most Americans do, that we shouldn't be allowing billions of dollars to go to nations that hate us to go to Cuba, to go to Iran and to let them use those billions of dollars to try to murder us.

[...]

Marco Rubio : It's great to be here, back at home in Miami. It's hard to believe that just two decades ago, my father was just a bartender working in the city. And now his son stands on this stage, here, as a candidate for the highest office in the land. My parents never wanted me to go into politics or in particular or anything else. They just wanted me to have the opportunity to live out all the dreams they once had for themselves. And that was possible because America is a special country.

But that was not an accident. America is great because each generation before us did what needed to be done. They solved their problems, they confronted their challenges. They embraced their opportunities. And for over two centuries, each generation has left the next better off.

And now the moment has arrived for our generation to do our part. And I'm telling you tonight, if you vote for me, here in Florida and everywhere across this country on Tuesday, when I'm elected president, this generation will do it's part.

We will do whatever it takes to ensure that our children inherit from us, what we inherited from our parents, the single greatest nation in the history of all of mankind.

Who won the debate

Marco Rubio : 46 %
Ted Cruz : 29 %
Donald Trump : 25 %

[UWS]

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS REPUBLICAN CAUCUSES, 2016

CNN America's Choice theme : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uvpd4myQXs



Wolf Blitzer : « Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I'm Wolf Blitzer from the CNN Election Center and tonight we are covering the Republican caucuses in the U.S. Virgin Islands. »

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 8 : 30 pm and Marco Rubio is largely leading in the U.S. Virgin Islands. »

U.S. Virgin Islands Republican caucuses (50 % reported) - 9 delegates

Marco Rubio : 60 %
Donald Trump : 17 %      
Ted Cruz : 11 %

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 9 pm and Marco Rubio wins the the U.S. Virgin Islands caucuses and all the 9 delegates. »

U.S. Virgin Islands Republican caucuses (100 % reported) - 9 delegates

Marco Rubio : 64 % ✔ - 9 delegates
Donald Trump : 21 % - 0 delegate      
Ted Cruz : 15 % - 0 delegate

MARCO RUBIO WINS THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS REPUBLICAN CAUCUSES


Wolf Blitzer : « We'll see you the day after tomorrow for the coverage of the Republican caucuses in Wyoming, Washington D.C. and Guam and the Democratic caucuses in Northern Marianas. »

[UWS]

Republican Presidential Primaries - Map and Delegates Count

Marco Rubio : 439 delegates
Donald Trump : 324 delegates
Ted Cruz : 273 delegates
Ben Carson : 7 delegates
Jeb Bush : 4 delegates
John Kasich : 1 delegate
Carly Fiorina : 1 delegate
Rand Paul : 1 delegate
Mike Huckabee : 1 delegate
Chris Christie : 0 delegate
Rick Santorum : 0 delegate
Jim Gilmore : 0 delegate

2472 delegates in total
1237 delegates needed to win the nomination

Democratic Presidential Primaries - Map and Delegates Count

Hillary Clinton : 861 delegates
Bernie Sanders : 639 delegates
Martin O'Malley : 0 delegate
      
4763 delegates in total
2382 delegates needed to win the nomination

[UWS]

WYOMING, WASHINGTON D.C., GUAM AND NORTHERN MARIANAS CAUCUSES, 2016

CNN America's Choice theme : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uvpd4myQXs

Wolf Blitzer : « Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I'm Wolf Blitzer from the CNN Election Center and tonight we are covering the Republican caucuses in the Wyoming, Washington D.C. and Guam as well as the Democratic caucuses in Northern Mariana Islands. »

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 8 pm and Marco Rubio the leader in the Washington D.C. contest. »

Washington D.C. Republican caucuses (50 % reported) - 19 delegates

Marco Rubio : 75 %
Donald Trump : 13 %      
Ted Cruz : 6 %

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 8 : 30 pm and Marco Rubio wins the Washington D.C. caucuses and all the 19 delegates. »

Washington D.C. Republican caucuses (100 % reported) - 19 delegates

Marco Rubio : 79 % ✔ - 19 delegates
Donald Trump : 14 % - 0 delegate      
Ted Cruz : 7 % - 0 delegate

MARCO RUBIO WINS THE WASHINGTON D.C. REPUBLICAN CAUCUSES

Anderson Cooper : « It's 10 : 30 pm and Ted Cruz largely leads in Wyoming. »

Wyoming Republican caucuses (75 % reported) - 29 delegates

Ted Cruz : 63 %
Marco Rubio : 16 %
Donald Trump : 5 %      

John King : « It's 10 : 45 pm and Ted Cruz wins the Wyoming caucuses. »

Wyoming Republican caucuses (100 % reported) - 29 delegates

Ted Cruz : 69 % ✔ - 22 delegates
Marco Rubio : 23 % - 5 delegates
Donald Trump : 8 % - 2 delegates   

TED CRUZ WINS THE WYOMING REPUBLICAN CAUCUSES

Wolf Blitzer : « It's 11 : 15 pm and we are able to make two projections : Marco Rubio is the winner in the Guam Republican caucuses and wins all the 9 delegates. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton wins the Northern Mariana Islands Democratic caucuses. »

Guam Republican caucuses (100 % reported) - 9 delegates

Marco Rubio : 73 % ✔ - 9 delegates
Donald Trump : 15 % - 0 delegate      
Ted Cruz : 12 % - 0 delegate

MARCO RUBIO WINS THE GUAM REPUBLICAN CAUCUSES

Northern Mariana Islands Democratic caucuses (100 % reported) - 11 delegates

Hillary Clinton : 65,6 % ✔ - 7 delegates
Bernie Sanders : 34,4 % - 4 delegates

HILLARY CLINTON WINS THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS DEMOCRATIC CAUCUSES

Wolf Blitzer : « We'll see you, ladies and gentlemen, in three days for the coverage of mini Super Tuesday, a crucial contest where many important winner-take-all states will be voting : Florida (Marco Rubio's home state) and Ohio. Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and the Northern Mariana Republicans will also be voting this day. For now, have a good night. »

[UWS]

Republican Presidential Primaries - Map and Delegates Count

Marco Rubio : 472 delegates
Donald Trump : 326 delegates
Ted Cruz : 295 delegates
Ben Carson : 7 delegates
Jeb Bush : 4 delegates
John Kasich : 1 delegate
Carly Fiorina : 1 delegate
Rand Paul : 1 delegate
Mike Huckabee : 1 delegate
Chris Christie : 0 delegate
Rick Santorum : 0 delegate
Jim Gilmore : 0 delegate

2472 delegates in total
1237 delegates needed to win the nomination

Democratic Presidential Primaries - Map and Delegates Count

Hillary Clinton : 868 delegates
Bernie Sanders : 643 delegates
Martin O'Malley : 0 delegate
      
4763 delegates in total
2382 delegates needed to win the nomination

[UWS]

The Washington Post
Mini Super Tuesday

Political Geography: Tales from the campaign trail

Florida

Donald Trump focused most of his efforts in northern Florida. He could also benefit from the fact that he has a residence in Florida, a state he calls his « second home state ».
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Home state advantage
Marco Rubio is likely to take advantage at the fact that Florida is his home state, a state he represents at the United States Senate. Rubio, a Cuban-American, has strong Hispanic and Cuban-American support in Florida, which could favor him, especially in Center and Southern Florida, including in the Miami, Tampa and Orlando regions.

Nowhere man

Standing in a distant third in the Florida polls, Ted Cruz focused most of his efforts in the more conservative states voting on mini Super Tuesday such as Missouri and North Carolina and on Illinois and Ohio as well.

Ohio

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Ohio looks like a showdown between Marco Rubio and Donald Trump. Rubio focused his efforts in the urban regions where he could benefit from the fiscal conservative vote, especially in Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati. He also campaigned in Ohio's eastern counties where a great part of the economy is based on oïl and gas drilling. But the state's blue-collar demographics favor Trump, who has been preaching a message of economic populism. Since the Buckeye State will be a key battleground in the general election, whoever carries the primary will be able to claim that he is the strongest candidate to face Hillary Clinton in the fall.


Illinois

The Cook County and the Collar Counties
Republican voters in Cook County are moderate on social issues. They are business-oriented and more affluent than the state as a whole. Republican votes will emanate from communities like Evanston, where many residents work in Chicago’s financial markets (Evanston is also the home of Northwestern University), and Schaumburg, which has the state’s second largest tax base after Chicago. Schaumburg is home to a number of corporations, including Motorola and Sears, both of which have their headquarters there. The “collar counties” — DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will — resemble the suburban parts of Cook County and should also be strong areas for Marco Rubio. Republican voters in these densely packed suburban counties are generally well educated and well off. For the most part, this is the Chamber of Commerce wing of the party, focused on the economy, taxes and business regulations. In 2008 and 2012, about a third of the primary electorate came from the collar counties. All these factors could help Rubio to win the Illinois primary.
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The South
Counties in the south, like Effingham County, have large numbers of evangelical Christian voters, a group that could favor Donald Trump and Ted Cruz though Trump could be helped by economic populists.

Missouri

Though he didn't campaign in Missouri, Marco Rubio hopes to have his share of delegates in Missouri. He could be helped by the moderate population in Kansas City and St. Louis, both cities inhabited by an important population of non-white voters, especially Hispanics.
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Competition for evangelical support
Ted Cruz has emerged as a favorite of Christian conservatives and hopes that his regional roots and religious focus will play well in Missouri though cautionary tale for his campaign came in Iowa (where he finished second behind Marco Rubio) and in South Carolina (where he finished third behind Donald Trump and Marco Rubio). Donald Trump could benefit from blue-collar conservative support due to his populist message.