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U.S. NEWSMonday 11 January 2016
Cruz, Trump up in Iowa as ‘takedown’ talk fades Powerball
Jackpot
STEVE PEOPLES ture. Trump is not a Repub- of Cruz and Trump. other candidates. For ex-
lican and he is not a con- There is little evidence of ample, a Rubio-boosting Continued from Front
Associated Press servative,” said Republican widespread alarm from group recently put more
strategist Alex Castellanos, establishment Republican than $1 million into sharp- The lottery computers will
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — who is not affiliated with a leaders and their well-fund- elbowed anti-Christie at- handle the decimal point
2016 campaign. “The ge- ed supporters. Despite their tacks in New Hampshire. without a problem.
Three weeks before Iowa ometry is conflicting: If you commanding presence Rubio has been the target The odds to win are one in
limit one, you aid the other. in preference polls, Trump of close to $1 million in neg- 292.2 million. Seventy-five
kicks off the state-by-state “At the end,” Castellanos and Cruz have almost ative advertising, mostly in percent of all the possible
said, “Republicans may completely escaped paid Iowa and mostly by Cruz combinations were pur-
presidential nominating face the devil’s bargain attack ads, particularly in boosters. chased before Saturday’s
and have to settle for the Iowa. There is unquestioned ex- drawing, Grief said, and
contests, businessman citement among the Re- he expects that enough
publican electorate in Iowa tickets will be sold to cov-
Donald Trump and Texas for the two front-runners. er about 80 percent by
On Saturday, Cruz con- Wednesday. About 95 per-
Sen. Ted Cruz are generat- cluded a six-day, 28-stop cent of Powerball tickets
trek across the state, draw- have computer-generat-
ing overwhelming enthu- ing overflow crowds ev- ed numbers.
erywhere — from a pizza “I’ve been in the indus-
siasm among Republican restaurant in Pocahontas try over 20 years, and I’ve
to a small college in Sioux seen jackpots hit when we
voters in the state, along Center, where hundreds hardly have any of the po-
packed the auditorium, tential numbers covered —
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, in spilling into the stairwell like 5 percent of the possi-
Ottumwa, Iowa. and upper level. ble combinations covered.
“There is no doubt that the And I’ve seen other jack-
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Washington cartel is in full pots when we’ve had 95
panic mode,” said an al- percent of the combina-
with concern, though not lesser of two anti-establish- Republican National com- most giddy Cruz this past tions covered and it rolls,”
panic, among the party ment evils.” mitteeman Ron Kaufman week. “They are in full pan- Grief said.
professionals who believe That feeling is echoed by of Massachusetts said the ic mode because they are Saturday’s winning num-
both are unelectable in party officials across the party’s “centrist conserva- seeing on the ground con- bers — 16-19-32-34-57 and
November against the country, who acknowl- tives” will have to be pa- servatives uniting.” Powerball number of 13 —
Democratic nominee. edged they have few tools tient until what they see At other stops, Cruz sup- did gain some people a
Despite such fears, talk of to stop Cruz or Trump. In- as a more electable alter- porters stood outside in little wealth: 25 tickets won
a “takedown” effort aimed stead, there is hope that native to Trump and Cruz snow and sub-freezing $1 million by matching five
at either Trump or Cruz ap- voters ultimately will settle emerges. temperatures, unable to numbers, and three other
pears to have faded as the on what they consider a “This is about who’s go- get in for a seat, but still try- tickets won $2 million be-
Feb. 1 caucuses in Iowa more viable alternative ing to be in the finals,” ing to listen through open cause they paid extra to
near. For now, there is ner- from a group of candidates Kaufman said. “Clearly on doors. At a Friday morn- multiply smaller prizes.
vous acceptance that two that includes Florida Sen. one side it’s going to be ing event in Mason City, The record jackpot lured
of the Republican Party’s Marco Rubio, New Jersey Trump and/or Cruz. And for 48-year-old Robert Peter- an unprecedented frenzy
most divisive figures may Gov. Chris Christie, former the centrist conservatives, son said he was sold on of purchases. Between
stay at the top of the presi- Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and it’s going to come down to Cruz, even though he said Jan. 6 and Saturday’s
dential pack well into the Ohio Gov. John Kasich. one of three governors or he had never before voted drawing, more than $900
first month of voters’ get- “Let’s see how the votes Rubio.” for a Republican presiden- million in Powerball tickets
ting their say. go before we panic,” said That may explain why the tial candidate. were sold.
“Cruz would not only Washington-based Repub- attacks on Cruz and Trump “It’s time for a change,” Pe- Officials expect similar
cost us the general, he lican operative John Fee- pale in comparison to the terson said, standing at the sales before the next draw-
would cost the GOP the fu- hery, who has been critical amount spent disparaging back of the room wearing ing, but Grief said it’s hard
a red “Cruz 2016” button to predict how excitement
and holding a red, white about the record jackpot
and blue Cruz sign. “The will boost sales.
status quo has got to go.” “It’s exponentially greater
It’s much the same for than any sales that any of
Trump, who is showing no the states involved have
signs of slowing down after ever seen,” he said.
leading most national pref- Powerball is played in 44
erence polls since the sum- states as well as the District
mer. q of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Is-
lands and Puerto Rico. q
