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"Now that my good friend Jeb Bush is no longer running, I'm supporting Rubio," . . Dole said that if Trump were to become president, the real estate mogul might "surprise" people with his performance, especially if he surrounds himself with qualified and experienced advisers. . . "I'd be happy to be his adviser," Dole added.

Governor, would you consider being Donald Trump's vice president?" Bush was asked at a campaign stop. "No," the former Florida governor instantly shot back, eliciting laughter from supporters, including South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Bob Dole likes South Carolina. “It was South Carolina that put me over the top in 1996,” he recalls in a lengthy phone interview. But, 20 years later, Jeb Bush, his chosen candidate in the 2016 race, is on the verge of a disappointing and potentially lethal finish.

"Coming soon to a Ted Cruz campaign ad near you? Former President Jimmy Carter, at Britain's House of Lords on Wednesday to deliver a lecture on the campaign to eradicate the Guinea worm disease, was derailed for a few minutes by a BBC reporter who asked about the presidential election. If he had to choose between Cruz and Trump for the Republican nomination, Carter chuckled, "I think I would choose Trump, which may surprise some of you." "The reason is, Trump has proven already he’s completely malleable,” Carter explained. "I don't think he has any fixed (positions) he'd go the...

Sunday on a special edition of Fox News Channel’s “Your World,” former Sen. Bob Dole, the 1996 Republican presidential nominee, criticized Sen. Ted Cruz , a candidate for the 2016 Republican nomination, on the eve of the Iowa Caucuses. Dole ripped Cruz for being “an extreme conservative” and argued Cruz would shut down the government given the opportunity.“My candidate is Jeb Bush and I wish I could see him more on Fox today. But I think we have a number of good candidates who are Republicans and we have Cruz, who I don’t think is a Republican,” Dole said. “He...

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is endorsing Ted Cruz in the Republican presidential primary, Perry told POLITICO in an interview Sunday night. Perry, who also sought the GOP nomination before dropping out in September, said he now sees the race as one that is between Cruz, a fellow Texan, and Donald Trump. Through phone calls and during a December day spent driving around his Round Top, Texas, home in his truck with Cruz, Perry said he found the senator to be a good listener who respects the Tenth Amendment, "knows what he does not know" and is more conservative than...

It's well known that many Republicans in Washington do not like Sen. Ted Cruz, but the full extent of that antipathy is coming to light this week as several current and former lawmakers say they prefer Donald Trump as the GOP nominee, although they have little regard for either man. Some GOP consultants and strategists started the rumblings in recent days. Then Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad told Republicans in his state to oppose Cruz because of the senator's opposition to ethanol subsidies. But the story broke wide open on Wednesday when former Senate Majority Leader and 1996 Republican presidential nominee...

At some point during the past week I entered a Twilight Zone episode where constitutional conservative Sarah Palin thinks Donald Trump is the future of America and elder statesmen Bob Dole thinks Ted Cruz, more so than the third-party-flirting former Democrat Trump, is the one with the loyalty problem to the GOP.Incidentally, didn’t this guy endorse Jeb Bush? Why is he talking up Trump here? "I question his allegiance to the party," Mr. Dole said of Mr. Cruz. "I don't know how often you've heard him say the word ‘Republican' -- not very often." Instead, Mr. Cruz uses the...

Bob Dole, the former Kansas senator and 1996 Republican presidential nominee, has never been fond of Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. But in an interview Wednesday, Mr. Dole said that the party would suffer "cataclysmic" and "wholesale losses" if Mr. Cruz were the nominee, and that Donald J. Trump would fare better. "I question his allegiance to the party," Mr. Dole said of Mr. Cruz. "I don't know how often you've heard him say the word 'Republican' - not very often." Instead, Mr. Cruz uses the word "conservative," Mr. Dole said, before offering up a different word for Mr. Cruz:...

When Ben Carson was rising in the polls, Donald Trump was quick to attack the former neurosurgeon for being "pro-abortion not so long ago." The attack was more than a bit hypocritical because Trump himself was "very" pro-abortion not so long ago. In 1999, Tim Russert asked Trump if he would support a ban on "abortion in the third-trimester" or "partial-birth abortion." "No," Trump replied. "I am pro-choice in every respect." Trump explained his views may be the result of his "New York background." Now that Ted Cruz has attacked Trump's "New York values," Trump's views on abortion will be...

Donald Trump holds a 20-point lead in the New Hampshire Republican primary, a new CNN/WMUR poll shows. Behind him, there's still a scrum for second place -- with support for No. 2, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, on the rise. Trump is backed by 34% of those likely to vote in New Hampshire's February 9 GOP primary, more than double his nearest contender, Cruz, who has 14% support. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio are tied for third with 10% each. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul are each...

Wednesday, January 20, 2016: GOP Presidential front-runner Donald Trump held a massive campaign rally in Tulsa, OK at the Mabee Center. Mr. Trump brought former Alaska Governor and 2008 GOP Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin with him- and she spoke for about 20 minutes to a fired up crowd of an estimated 20,000 supporters.

A new Florida FAU poll (full pdf below) shows candidate Donald Trump extending his lead and nearing the 50% threshold. At 48% Trump has increased his lead by 11 points since the same poll was conducted a month ago.

Bob Dole, the former Kansas senator and 1996 Republican presidential nominee, has never been fond of Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. But in an interview Wednesday, Mr. Dole said that the party would suffer "cataclysmic" and "wholesale losses" if Mr. Cruz was the nominee, and that Donald J. Trump would fare better. "I question his allegiance to the party,” Mr. Dole said of Mr. Cruz. "I don't know how often you've heard him say the word ‘Republican’ — not very often." Instead, Mr. Cruz uses the word "conservative," Mr. Dole said, before offering up a different word for Mr. Cruz:...

Former Republican presidential nominee Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) goes after GOP presidential candidates Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in a new interview. Dole told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell that Trump "says things over the top and people applaud. And he's insulted about everybody, every other candidate. "And Cruz is so extreme," Dole, a backer of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's White House bid, continued in the interview, airing Tuesday afternoon on "Andrea Mitchell Reports." "He's not a ... traditional Republican conservative," he added of Cruz. "Achievements are shutting down the government twice and calling the Republican leader, Mitch McConnell,...

Former Senator Bob Dole of Kansas endorsed Jeb Bush for president on Wednesday, saying he believed that the former Florida governor was the best qualified candidate — and also making clear that he still held a grudge against Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. The endorsement, timed for Veterans Day — Mr. Dole fought in World War II — was announced by Mr. Bush’s campaign. But NBC News, in a brief interview with Mr. Dole, the Republican nominee for president in 1996, had cool words for only one candidate. “I think he’s the most qualified, and we need somebody with experience...

Former Senator Bob Dole of Kansas endorsed Jeb Bush for president on Wednesday, saying he believed that the former Florida governor was the best qualified candidate — and also making clear that he still held a grudge against Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. The endorsement, timed for Veterans Day — Mr. Dole fought in World War II — was announced by Mr. Bush’s campaign. But NBC News, in a brief interview with Mr. Dole, the Republican nominee for president in 1996, had cool words for only one candidate. “I think he’s the most qualified, and we need somebody with experience...

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole has endorsed Jeb Bush for president and will serve as the former Florida governor's National Veterans’ Chairman, according to the campaign. Dole said that while almost all of the candidates are his friends, he believes Bush is the most qualified. Jeb has the proven leadership skills and executive experience needed to fix the problems facing our country from the anemic economy to America's weakened standing among world leaders, Dole said in a statement. Jeb's conservative reform agenda and forward looking vision on issues including 4 percent economic growth, defeating ISIS and taking care of our...

Longtime Kansas Sen. Bob Dole is planning an ambitious fundraising effort to build the long-debated Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, and he will have help from Tom Hanks, Tom Brokaw and others. Dole told The Associated Press on Friday that he aims to raise $150 million in private funds, if necessary, to build the memorial after more than 15 years of planning. Critics of the memorial's design have stalled funding in Congress. The 92-year-old World War II veteran says it's time to honor "Ike," the 34th president and supreme Allied commander during World War II. Organizers hope to create...

Bob Dole says he thinks former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney should run for the office again in 2016. The 91-year-old former Senate majority leader made the comment Monday during a campaign rally for Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, who’s in a tight race for re-election against independent candidate Greg Orman. Romney spoke at the event in the Kansas City surburb of Overland Park. …