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MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — At least two separate GOP presidential campaigns’ internal polling data shows a demonstrable and significant slide for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) after his widely panned debate performance—where New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie targeted him—Breitbart News has learned. A pro-Ohio Gov. John Kasich Super PAC published, via Politico, internal polling numbers showing a drop off for Rubio after Christie exposed him during the debate. In that poll, Rubio fell down to 10 percent and into fourth place. “Most of the polling conducted in the immediate days before the debate showed Rubio in second place,” Politico’s Alex Isenstadt...

New audio obtained exclusively by Breitbart News indicates that as the Iowa caucuses began on Monday night, the campaign called precinct captains informing them that Dr. Ben Carson was suspending campaigning, and instructing them to tell voters they should “not waste a vote on Ben Carson and vote for Ted Cruz.” The calls were placed after the Carson campaign had already clarified that Carson was not suspending his campaign. Nancy Bliesman, a precinct captain for Cruz in Crawford County, Iowa, told Breitbart News that she received two voice mails–one at 7:07 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST), and one at 7:29...

Not as important as Tim Scott’s support since Toomey’s not from an early state, but still significant big-picture. This isn’t just a case of Cruz losing out to Rubio on another endorsement among his Senate colleagues, it’s a litmus test of electability — or perceived electability. Why might a Republican from a purple state, whose seat is up this year by the way, prefer Rubio to Cruz or Trump? Hmmm:

Jeb Bush has the support of just one percent of likely Republican caucusgoers in Iowa, according to a new poll from CBS News. The poll, released Sunday, found Bush with the same level of support as Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum, and John Kasich. That puts Bush behind Chris Christie (2 percent), Rand Paul (3 percent), Ben Carson (5 percent), Marco Rubio (13 percent), Ted Cruz (34 percent), and Donald Trump (39 percent). The poor numbers for Bush come nearly a month after Right to Rise, the super PAC supporting the former Florida governor, made a $25 million ad buy in...

This isn't what the column's about, but should be said: It was strange Tuesday night to see the Republican chosen to give the State of the Union response go after the front-runner in her party's presidential primary. But then this is a strange year. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said that during "anxious times," the party should not follow “the angriest voices." She didn't name Donald Trump but later said her remark was "partially" aimed at him.[snip]...With one caveat. She later revealed that, like an obedient person not quite in tune with the spirit of the times, she had cleared...

Jeb Bush, fresh off a record-breaking fundraising effort, celebrated in July with major donors at an exclusive two-day conference in Kennebunkport, Maine. It was there the former governor boasted his $114 million hauls were "only the beginning." That was last year. Months later, and weeks before the first votes in Iowa and New Hampshire, Bush supporters are much less exultant, writes Anna Palmer and Ben White in POLITICO, as the money flow has now slowed to a trickle. For many Bush donors, it's only a "matter of time" before the formerly presumptive front-runner drops out of the race.

In recent years, a small but growing number of people have advocated a convention of states to propose amendments to the Constitution of the United States. The reaction to the proposal has been hostile, out of all proportion to either the originality or the danger of such a convention. The political left has been especially vehement in its denunciations of what they call "messing with the Constitution." A recent proposal by Governor Greg Abbott of Texas to hold a Constitutional convention of states has been denounced by the Texas branch of the American Civil Liberties Union and nationally by an...

New tracking poll information from Reuters confirms Donald Trump as the frontrunner, but also breathes new life into the Jeb Bush campaign. As on Tuesday, Jeb Bush had moved into third place nationally, with 10.6 percent support. Bush edges Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) by almost 4 points as Rubio has dropped into 5th place nationally. Since the first regular day of the New Year, January 4th, Bush has climbed more than 3 points while Rubio has lost 1 point. Donald Trump continues to lead the GOP field with 39 percent support, down slightly for the week, but still far ahead...

U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Richardson, is throwing his support behind Ted Cruz for president, giving the U.S. senator from Texas the seventh congressional endorsement from his home state. "It is time. We need a real conservative in the White House who is a man of principle that can help get this country back on track," Johnson said in a statement provided Monday afternoon by the Cruz campaign. "America needs leadership, and Ted Cruz has consistently stood up and led the fight for conservative principles like defunding Obamacare, stopping President Obama’s lawless executive action, and defending life and marriage," Johnson added. "During this time...

One would be hard-pressed to find a better year-end encapsulation of how the Republican establishment has screwed up the presidential contest than news of a certain ad-buy Tuesday. Jeb Bush's super PAC, Right to Rise-after burning through $40 million already-has made a $1.4 million buy in ... Iowa? To go after Sen. Marco Rubio? ... what's the strategy here? Bush isn't really contesting Iowa-his official campaign announced Wednesday that it was canceling its remaining Iowa ad-buys-and Rubio isn't in position to win Iowa, either. It’s possible that Mike Murphy, the chief disburse of funds at Right to Rise, ... But...

It turns out Moses never gave Jeb Bush a rifle. The Republican presidential candidate has told crowds several times in the past year about receiving the National Rifle Association's Statesman of the Year award from Charlton Heston, the late Hollywood legend and former leader of the gun rights group who once played Moses in a movie. "You know who you're lookin' at here? You're looking at the guy who won the NRA Statesman of the Year award," Bush said last month at a town hall in Milford, N.H. "Not the Florida award. The national award. And I got a rifle...

Jeb Bush loves talking about how Moses once gave him a gun. A staunch supporter of Second Amendment rights, Bush frequently tells the story of being honored as National Rifle Association "Statesman of the Year" and being awarded a gun by Charlton Heston. "You know who you're lookin' at here? You're looking at the guy who won the NRA Statesman of the Year award," Bush said last month at a town hall in Milford, New Hampshire. "Not the Florida award. The national award. And I got a rifle from Charlton Heston, I got a rifle from Moses." It's a similar...

The head of the major Super PAC backing former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for president, Mike Murphy, praised the efforts of a donor to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) to attack billionaire 2016 GOP frontrunner Donald Trump by skywriting nasty messages at the Rose Bowl on Friday. "Not us but can't argue with it!" Murphy, the head of Right to Rise USA, Tweeted on Friday with an image of the anti-Trump skywriting. Because Murphy was behind a previous anti-Trump effort involving a plane-he hired a plane to fly above a Trump rally in Alabama with an anti-Trump banner on it-people suspected...

It turns out that the millionaire GOP establishment donor who bankrolled the anti-Donald Trump skywriting at the Rose Bowl parade on New Year’s Day isn’t just any ordinary donor-class millionaire. He’s backing Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)79% , the man who is emerging as the anti-conservative establishment and donor-class candidate for president in 2016. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Luther Stan Pate IV—an Alabama real estate developer worth millions—has donated thousands of dollars to Rubio’s electoral efforts. On Jan. 29, 2015, Pate donated $5,200 to Rubio—who, at the time, hadn’t yet officially launched a presidential campaign but was acting...

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush is canceling reserved advertising time in Iowa and South Carolina, the latest reminder of his struggles to connect with voters -- and a sign of possible fundraising troubles. The decision will keep Bush from paying for roughly $3 million of reserved TV time in January -- a little more than $1 million in Iowa just under $2 million in South Carolina. Instead, Bush plans to redeploy roughly 50 staffers to the four states that hold the first contests next year. The campaign acknowledged that its announcement came on Wednesday because it was the final day...

He was supposed to win the GOP nomination easily and just six months ago, it appeared he would do just that. He had tens of millions of donor dollars at the ready, the approval of the GOP Establishment, and a successful stint as governor of one of the most important swing states in the country. Nothing went as planned. SNIP A D.C. Whispers source painted the Bush campaign with the following colors: "He just doesn't have it and he's not a good enough politician to fake it. He's also suffering from eight years of Barack Obama faking it and voters...

You knew it was coming at some point before actual voters put paid to it. But a "Jeb Bush comeback" narrative arrived ahead of schedule today with a Michael Brendan Dougherty column at The Week making the case that the former Florida governor is positioned to take a big leap from the political intensive care unit to the GOP presidential nomination. Dougherty's case boils down to three points: First, Marco Rubio ain't exactly setting the world on fire as the presumed successor to Jeb as the Establishment Republican favorite. Second, Jeb's super-pac has an awful lot of money. And third,...

Perhaps emboldened by the colorful, hometown atmosphere, a feisty Jeb Bush walked into a room full of supporters Monday, greeted by much more excitement than he's used to on the campaign trail, where he's struggling to break past the low single digits in the polls. A diverse crowd was chanting his name as the smell of croquetas, a Cuban breakfast staple, filled the room and supporters sipped on cafe con leche. The Republican presidential candidate held his first post-Christmas campaign event at a Cuban comfort food restaurant here called Chico's, where an amped-up crowd packed into the brick walls to...

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush says Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton "has no clue" about leading the country and GOP front-runner Donald Trump is "not serious about being a candidate." [...] Speaking mostly in English, Bush said America's leadership in the world is "essential for peace and security" and that "Hillary Clinton has no clue." ...

Jeb Bush on Monday challenged Republican front-runner Donald Trump to a one-on-one debate. Speaking to a gathering at the Forum Club in Palm Beach, Fla., Bush was asked by the moderator what he would say to Trump if he were to walk in the room at that moment. “Donald, I’ll take you on one-on-one in a debate, any time, any place,” Bush said. “You name it and I’ll do it.”(continued)