Free Republic

Thousands of Massachusetts Democrats have denounced their party affiliations since January 1 to jump across the aisle and join the ranks of Independent or Republicans. Nearly 20,000 Bay State Democrats, or 1.3 percent of the party's Masachussetts population, left to vote in the Republican primary Tuesday. More than 16,300 of that group have "unenrolled" or become Independent voters, while 3,500 have joined the GOP. Mass. Secretary of State William Glavin attributed the switches to the "Trump phenomenon." The billionaire candidate has a significant lead over fellow top contenders Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz in recent state polls. "The tenor of...

Donald Trump took his front-running campaign for the Republican presidential nomination to Pensacola, Fla., on Wednesday night. And, holy cow, did people come out in droves to see him. Here's a photo of the crowd taken by WaPo's own Jenna Johnson. *snip* Trump's campaign claimed it gave out 20,000 tickets; the arena holds 11,500 people. According to Jenna's reporting, there were "at least 11,000" in attendance and "several thousand more were turned away." Large crowds are the rule, not the exception, at this point for Trump. He had 8,000 people in Lowell, Mass., earlier this month; more than 2,000 showed...

Fiorina crowd in Council Bluffs, IA: Cruz crowd in Fort Dodge, IA: Hillary crowd in Council Bluffs, IA: Trump crowd in Council Bluffs, IA:

Donald Trump seemed to come to terms Tuesday with an unfamiliar prospect: He might lose in Iowa, the first state to weigh in on the Republican presidential nominating contest. At a campaign rally in Council Bluffs, Trump ran through a list of polls showing him leading the Republican race nationally and also in the Hawkeye State, which holds caucuses on Feb. 1. But he also noted that a handful of polls have shown him "very close" in the state, presumably trailing Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who has begun a steady surge there. "If I come in second by 2 points,...

It’s hard to disagree with most of the bad things that have been said about Donald Trump, and impossible to add a truly fresh accusation to the list. In just six months as a presidential candidate Trump has been called “witless, gross, and unworthy,” “ignorant and bombastic,” a “buffoon” and an “a--hole,” a “clownish demagogue,” and “proto-fascist” whose “ideas range from the absurd … to the monstrous,” and whose policy pronouncements are no better than “barstool eruptions.” And those are just his fellow Republicans’ opinions. Gleeful Democrats have made clear that Trump’s lead in public opinion polls throughout 2015 vindicates...

Released just three days before Christmas, presidential candidate Ted Cruz has a new three-minute video entitled “2015: A Year Fighting for Freedom, Texas and America,” in which he powerfully explains how to “break the Washington Cartel.”In the new video, Cruz explains that in Washington, D.C., it’s much easier for politicians to take the “path of least resistance.” “There’s a reason so many politicians talk about standing up to Washington and yet, so few actually do it. Because it’s far easier to take the path of least resistance. “How do you break the Washington Cartel? You make the political price of...

I know a televangelist candidate when I see one. To hear the pundits and experts in Washington tell it, the problem with Ted Cruz is that he doesn't play well with others in the Senate, he's too hardheaded and doesn't compromise. In other words, he's exactly what the Republican primary voters want. On this score, I side with the Republican primary voters. If Cruz's problem is that he is a conservative who has no regard for senatorial decorum and fights too hard for the right things, I'm all in. But there is a far bigger problem with Cruz: Donald Trump...

Donald Trump seems to be solidifying at least a big chunk of delegates from the South, if not outright leads. It’s important to remember that the primary isn’t until March 1st, leaving plenty of time for candidates to lose support, gain support, or drop out. The only thing I find truly interesting about this poll is Ben Carson’s relative strength. His 11% is probably too far from the 20% required to be awarded at-large delegates, but he’s polling stronger in Tennessee than almost anywhere else. Marco Rubio is right behind him though at 10%, and could eventually become the establishment...

Real estate mogul Donald Trump met with immigrant advocates on Wednesday to discuss immigration reform and ended the meeting with a resolution to move the debate forward. Trump met with youth immigrant leaders Jose Machado, Diego Sanchez and nationally renowned Dreamer Gaby Pacheco of The Bridge Project at Trump Towers in New York at the request of Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. “He really listened and asked thoughtful questions,” said Machado of the meeting to discuss immigration reform. “We had the opportunity to share our stories and explain why millions of Americans from California, Colorado,...

It might have been a Merry Christmas for Donald Trump, but his Boxing Day sure doesn't look bad either. The GOP front-runner holds a 13 point lead over Ted Cruz - 33-20% in Arkansas. While this isn't too surprising, the fairly substantial lead that he has with about 10 weeks to go before the primary bodes well for his chances. Donald Trump - 33% Ted Cruz - 20% Marco Rubio - 13% Jeb Bush - 6% Rand Paul - 6% Ben Carson - 4% Chris Christie - 3% John Kasich - 3% Carly Fiorina - <1% Other - 8% Undecided...

Cruz's Poll Decline Underway? If So Last Barrier To Trump Removed The graph tells the tale. One by one the anti-Trump candidates rise, helped in no small part by a desperate media and establishment, and one by one they fall. The Fiorina, Carson, Walker, Kasich, Bush, Rubio "surges" are noticeable, but like shooting stars are very brief. The exception being Ben Carson who, alone after Trump took the lead on July 20th, actually put his nose in front for three days. But in some sort of cosmic schadenfreude Carson's decline has been spectacular. After Trump rose Bush declined. In...

Cruz Sees 'Two-Man Race' With Trump For GOP Nomination By Christopher Snyder December 22, 2015 Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz said Tuesday he believes the still-crowded GOP field is slowly becoming a "two-man race" between himself and real estate mogul Donald Trump. Cruz said new polling shows his campaign is picking up traction, not only in the early primary states but with Republican voters nationwide. He referred to a Quinnipiac University national poll released Tuesday that has Trump leading the field with 28 percent and Cruz close behind with 24 percent. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has 12 percent, retired neurosurgeon...

Cruz, Carson jockey for 2nd place behind front-runner Trump (No narrative beyond the following)

I'm a pretty popular guy here in San Jose and I've finally made my endorsement for president. Ted Cruz-2016

Shortly after Ted Cruz told GOP power brokers that Trump lacked the "judgement" to be president, Kellyanne Conway who runs Cruz's Keep the Promise I super PAC justified RNC plans to strip Trump of the nomination at a brokered convention even if he wins the most votes and plurality of delegates KC: No, it's not cheating. Chris Matthews: The candidate who gets the plurality of votes - the most votes should be the nominee? KC: No, I'd have to look at the math.