Free Republic

Something's changed about Ted Cruz – and it’s not just the beard. First, there was the common ground with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Then, there was the push for people to donate supplies to detained migrants at the border. Then, Cruz called out Tennessee for honoring a Confederate Army general with an ugly past. Is the senator from Texas – the unapologetic conservative who ran for president in 2016 saying Republicans win by painting “in bold colors, not pale pastels”– making a conscious effort to expand his appeal beyond conservatives? “I do think it’s intentional,” said Brendan Steinhauser, a Republican consultant based...

Sometimes, less is more, and in infamous "Black Swan" philosopher Nassim Taleb's case, summing up the chaos that is enveloping America, and its forthcoming election was as simple as the following: "The *establishment* composed of journos, BS-Vending talking heads with well-formulated verbs, bureaucrato-cronies, lobbyists-in training, New Yorker-reading semi-intellectuals, image-conscious empty suits, Washington rent-seekers and other "well thinking" members of the vocal elites are not getting the point about what is happening and the sterility of their arguments." To which he appended the following 17 perfectly succinct words: "People are not voting for Trump (or Sanders). People are just voting, finally,...

And Trump's surely helping the cause, with unhinged cheap-shot attacks on Heidi Cruz- when this woman is 10,000x times more impressive than unintelligible prop Melania Trump will ever be... Alas, the pattern is well-established: Trump comes up with some dubious excuse to orchestrate a character assassination (that's already been elaborately planned), goes into a two day twitter frenzy disingenuously playing the victim in a crudely staged scene that's a mirror-image of the one the master projectionist is actually about to spring upon his latest mark. Then when Trump shifts into attack-mode, Drudge, Breitbart, paid bloggers and twitter trolls spread the false narrative/finish...

Mitt Romney took his willingness to support Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz one step further by recording robocalls for the Texas senator. In the calls, first reported by The Daily Caller, Romney encourages voters in Arizona and Utah to support Cruz. A call targeting Arizona voters was released today and another call will begin ringing in Utah homes tomorrow. Both Utah and Arizona will hold nominating contests tomorrow. “I’m calling to ask you to join me in supporting Ted Cruz for president this Tuesday in the Utah Republican caucuses. This is the time for Republicans across the spectrum to unite...

This week, in the Utah nominating caucus, I will vote for Senator Ted Cruz. Today, there is a contest between Trumpism and Republicanism. Through the calculated statements of its leader, Trumpism has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence. I am repulsed by each and every one of these. The only path that remains to nominate a Republican rather than Mr. Trump is to have an open convention. At this stage, the only way we can reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many of the remaining...

Lindsey Graham will host a fundraiser for Ted Cruz next Monday. While Graham has not formally endorsed Cruz, the fundraiser is a sign that Graham at least prefers Cruz over Donald Trump and John Kasich, something Graham confirmed in a comment to the Washington Examiner. "He's the best alternative to Donald Trump," he said.

Republican leaders are wavering between grudging acceptance and deep denial about Donald Trump's likely ascent to the GOP presidential nomination. With at least three more states in his win column, Trump is now the only candidate with a path to clinching the Republican nomination before the party's convention in July. But he still must do better in upcoming contests to get the necessary 1,237 delegates, leaving some opponents with a sliver of hope he can still be stopped.

When Chris Christie threw his support behind Donald Trump, Washington gasped...

"Rubio-Kasich, Kasich-Rubio - I think those combinations, if they could consolidate and come together, would be [a] very potent ticket in the fall and maybe help us stop Trump," . . But I can tell you this, that I think I understand the nation pretty well in terms of what problems we have as Republicans," Graham said, ripping Trump's rhetoric on Hispanics and his "race baiting and religious bigotry."

Republican Marco Rubio's presidential run has drawn more money from Wall Street donors than any other candidate, according to a Reuters review of campaign finance disclosures, shoring up his position as his party's establishment alternative to front-runner Donald Trump. The U.S. senator from Florida has received more than $4 million from the employees of banks and investment firms like Bank of America Corp (BAC.N), Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) since launching his bid for the presidency last year, according to the analysis of individual donations totaling more than $200 each.

In the last two days the following have endorsed Marco Rubio: 2/22 Asa Hutchinson GOV. (R-ARK.) 2/22 Jeff Flake SEN. (R-ARIZ.) 2/22 Thom Tillis SEN. (R-N.C.) 2/22 Gus M. Bilirakis REP. (R-FLA.) 2/22 Jeff Miller REP. (R-FLA.) 2/21 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen REP. (R-FLA.) 2/21 Carlos Curbelo REP. (R-FLA.) 2/21 Mario Diaz-Balart REP. (R-FLA.) 2/21 Mark Amodei REP. (R-NEV.) 2/21 Cresent Hardy REP. (R-NEV.) 2/21 Dean Heller SEN .(R-NEV.)

"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.

Saturday's Republican primary in South Carolina was not quite the train wreck for the not-Trump portion of the party that seemed likely after New Hampshire's multi-candidate pileup. Boosted by Nikki Haley's endorsement, Marco Rubio basically saved his campaign with a second-place finish, while Jeb Bush finished far enough back that dropping out became the only honorable option. But of course Kasich is still in the race, and showing no signs of departing. I haven't ever written about his path to the nomination, mostly because I've never thought he had one. But then again this year has defied reasonable expectations. The...

Rubio inherits establishment support but is on a narrow path to stop Trump By Sean Sullivan February 22 at 2:20 PM LAS VEGAS — Mainstream Republican donors and elected officials are swiftly flocking to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) amid a growing sense that is he is the last best chance to prevent Donald Trump from running away with the Republican nomination. But Rubio’s path remains narrow and perilous. He has yet to win a state, and a raft of major March 1 contests known as “Super Tuesday” offers few obvious chances for him to do so. And if Trump keeps...

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is finally getting off the sidelines to endorse Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), in a final effort to defeat Donald Trump after the billionaire took early states in New Hampshire and South Carolina by storm. According to the Huffington Post’s Scott Conroy, Romney had been waiting for Jeb Bush to exit the race before endorsing Rubio citing “respect" for the former Florida governor.

Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for president, the senator's staff confirmed to the Washington Examiner. Hatch is one of the highest ranking Republicans in Congress, and he is third in the line of the succession to the U.S. presidency as president pro tempore of the United States Senate. The six-term senator had previously endorsed Jeb Bush and sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2000. Hatch's endorsement could be interpreted as a sign of the party's governing class rallying to Rubio.

It’s not just the Republican establishment who’s entering full-on panic mode given GOP frontrunner Donald Trump’s continued — and, some are now saying, potentially unstoppable — momentum. Democrats as well are starting to freak out. Harvard University political theorist — and Democrat — Danielle Allen, writing for the Washington Post, is now promoting “coordination across party lines” to stop Trump. After comparing Trump to Hitler — and quickly saying whether such a comparison is accurate is beside the point — Allen argues that Hillary Clinton cannot predictably be relied upon to beat Trump in the general election, so “Trump has...

... Now that Cruz regularly polls toward the top of an ever-shrinking field, his early tenure bears closer scrutiny. Cruz has gained fame as a social conservative and an unwavering opponent of Obamacare. In his first major leadership role, however, he developed economic policy as the director of the Federal Trade Commission's Office of Policy Planning...

Ted Cruz won last week's Iowa caucuses, exceeding expectations and capturing an impressive 27 percent of the vote. Donald Trump took second place, while Marco Rubio took third. What happened next?...

Texans for Fiscal Responsibility announced in a video and statement Monday its endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) cr 97%. "Ted Cruz is a principled, commonsense conservative who has done in Washington precisely what he said he was going to do," said Michael Quinn Sullivan, the president of TFR, in a video. "Ted Cruz has taken on the Washington establishment cartel of Democrats and liberal Republicans, unabashedly defending our constitutional liberties by promoting the principles of liberty." ...