A de facto teamwork strategy appears to be emerging between the mainstream Republican candidates, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, to no longer let Donald Trump off the hook for some of his inconsistencies, his non-adherence to conservatism, and his general lack of substance.
Whether this strategy will prove to be too little and too late remains to be seen. But both candidates made no bones about trying to arrest the momentum of the frontrunner in last night’s GOP debate in Houston. The only shot either of them have of surviving to at least the Republican National Convention in July is for Trump to start losing primaries, and particularly those held in the winner-take-all states starting March 15.
While both Cruz and Rubio seemed to get the better of The Donald last night, Rubio was particularly combative in doing so, scoring a majority of the headlines and most of the news coverage this morning.
Recognizing that the only way to slow Trump down ahead of the winner-take-all primaries in the second half of March is to make a dent in his lead in the March 1 primary states, Rubio has turned his sights toward the Old Dominion.
In a press release this morning, the Rubio campaign announced four rallies around the state this Sunday, two days before the primary.
Loudoun County Rally With Marco
When: 1:00pm ET, February 28, 2016. Doors open at 12:00pm ET.
Where: Patrick Henry College, Gymnasium, 10 Patrick Henry Circle, Purcellville, VA 20132
Members of the public who wish to attend can RSVP here.
Richmond Area Rally With Marco
When: 3:30pm ET, February 28, 2016. Doors open at 2:30pm ET.
Where: James River High School Athletic Field, 3700 James River Road, Midlothian, VA 23113
Members of the public who wish to attend can RSVP here.
Virginia Beach Rally With Marco
When: 6:00pm ET, February 28, 2016. Doors open at 5:00pm ET.
Where: Virginia Beach Convention Center, 1000 19th Street, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Members of the public who wish to attend can RSVP here.
Southwest Virginia Rally With Marco
When: 8:30pm ET, February 28, 2016. Doors open at 7:30pm ET.
Where: Roanoke College, 221 College Lane, Salem, VA 24153
Members of the public who wish to attend can RSVP here.
For those interested in seeing Cruz, the Texas Senator is appearing tonight at Regent University in Virginia Beach, starting at 7:00 PM. Click here for details.
Say whatever you want about the unorthodox and often disconcerting presidential race this year, but it does have the benefit of highlighting Virginia’s importance in selecting our next nominee.
The next several days should be interesting, to say the least. Buckle up.
4 comments
The same people ridiculing Rubio for his comments last night and today have no problem when Trump does the same thing. Must be nice in that glass house.
Rubio revealed how immature he really is during the debate in a last act of desperation. He is now looking like a traveling clown most recently talking about Trump wetting his pants.
Rubio can’t win in his own state against a non politician like Trump.
http://www.tmz.com/2016/02/26/marco-rubio-spelling-choker-donald-trump/
Exercise in futility. Trump is going to win VA by double-digits.
It really seems like Rubio’s strategy is to collect as many delegates as possible and then try to pull some shenanigans at the convention. But I think that’s a really really bad idea. If Rubio fails to win a single state (and he won’t) but somehow walks out of the convention with the nomination the backlash is going to be unbelievable. You think Trump supporters are mad now? Pull something like that and see what happens.
If the GOP pulls any kind of stunt they will pay severely beyond their wildest dreams. They created Trump, it is their own fault. Elections are supposed to be about what the people want, and it is clear people want Trump, accept that, work w/him, or pay the price.