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U.S. NEWS A3
Tuesday 23 February 2016
Rubio, Cruz look to derail Trump’s lead in Republican race
VIVIAN SALAMA as a two-man contest be- Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla, center, walks up to the stage at a
STEVE PEOPLES tween Trump and Rubio. rally Monday, Feb. 22, 2016, in Reno, Nev.
Associated Press Speaking to MSNBC’s
ELKO, Nevada (AP) — U.S. “Morning Joe” Monday, (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted McCarthy said Trump’s vic-
Cruz were looking Monday tory and Rubio’s second-
to derail Donald Trump’s place finish in South Caro-
lead in the race for the lina dealt a blow to Cruz’s
Republican presidential strategy to win the nomina-
nomination, with an eye tion. McCarthy predicted
toward next week’s critical voters in Rubio’s home state
delegate-rich state primary of Florida would determine
elections and caucuses. whether Rubio continues
But their sights were not in the race or Trump easily
only on Trump. The two rolls on to the nomination.
challengers were also try- Cruz on Saturday charac-
ing to derail each other’s terized a two-man contest
candidacies, and Cruz as well — between him
tried to tamp down a con- and Trump, but Rubio has
troversy by asking his cam- repeatedly pushed the no-
paign spokesman to resign tion of a three-man race
for tweeting a story that since the South Carolina
falsely alleged that Rubio primary. Rubio, however,
insulted the Bible. has yet to win a state.
On the Democratic side, Rubio, meanwhile, lashed
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sand- out at Cruz and Trump on
ers has put up a surprisingly Monday during a cam-
strong grassroots candi- paign stop in Elko, Nevada,
dacy against former U.S. as the Florida senator looks
Secretary of State Hillary to lower expectations for
Clinton, the favorite of the his own campaign in the
party establishment, while state where he spent six
promising a break-up of years of his childhood.
the big banks and policies “Obviously, I have ties to Las
to reverse growing income Vegas that run deep, given
inequality. my time growing up here,”
Trump, the billionaire busi- Rubio said. “I haven’t lived
nessman, has swept to the here in 25 years; the city
front-runner position in the has changed a lot. So, we
Republican race despite have a lot of friends here
making statements about and a lot of family, but I’m
minorities, immigrants and not sure that’s going to be
his rivals that would have enough to be a determi-
sunk a more traditional nant factor in the caucus.”
candidate. He reminded voters that
Trump heads into Tues- Nevada is just one stop
day’s Republican caucus- on the primary calendar
es in Nevada with 67 del- with upcoming contests
egates after a resounding throughout March.
victory in South Carolina Rubio also addressed the
on Saturday. His closest op- latest development in his
ponents, Cruz and Rubio, intensifying feud with Sen-
have a total of 11 and 10, ate colleague Cruz, whose
respectively. It takes 1,237 campaign helped pro-
delegates to capture the mote a video on Sunday
nomination. Rubio is try- that incorrectly suggested
ing to set himself up as the Rubio had criticized the
candidate of the party es- Bible.
tablishment now that for- “It’s every single day some-
mer Florida Gov. Jeb Bush thing comes out of the Cruz
is out of the race. The more campaign that’s decep-
conservative Cruz, who tive and untrue, and in this
worries many in the party case goes after my faith,”
establishment, is unlikely to Rubio told reporters when
finish above second or third asked about the incident.
in the coming contests ex- “I guess one of their spokes-
cept in his home state. persons apologized, and I
While five Republicans accept their apology.”
officially remain in the On Monday, Cruz asked
race, U.S. House of Repre- his campaign spokesman,
sentatives Majority Leader Rick Tyler, to resign for
Kevin McCarthy billed it tweeting the story. q
