Cruz Allies Seek to Ensure Rubio Loss in Florida

Ted Cruz's allies are launching an all-out offensive to ensure Marco Rubio loses his home state, an effort that reflects the urgency of Cruz's mission to narrow the field to himself and Donald Trump.

Keep the Promise I, one of four main super PACs supporting the U.S. senator from Texas, released a number of ads Sunday night that target Rubio on his Senate attendance record, support for sugar subsidies and tax proposals. Keep the Promise I has said it intends to compete in the Sunshine State, which holds its winner-take-all primary March 15.

A spokeswoman for the super PAC said it has plans to air some of the commercials in Florida but declined to comment further Monday morning.

The commercials most sharply criticize Rubio for favoring subsidies for the sugar industry, charging him with seeking to protect the interests of his donors. One spot calls Rubio an "errand boy" for the industry, while another says he is guilty of the same kind of "pay-to-play corporate cronyism" that Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton is.

In recent days, Cruz has made clear he plans to "vigorously contest" Florida, potentially keeping Rubio from the first-place finish he likely needs to continue his campaign. Cruz is hoping to stop Trump by forcing a two-man race the Texas senator is confident he can win.

Cruz's campaign has signaled it sees an opening in Florida, opening 10 offices across the state last week and not ruling out travel there surrounding the Republican debate Thursday in Miami. Rubio is scrambling to shore up support at home, where some polls have shown him trailing Trump by as much as 20 points.

The Florida senator's campaign called the super PAC ads hypocritical and expressed confidence Floridians would pick Rubio over Cruz.

"Considering Senator Cruz's weak record on defense, tax plan that will lead to higher prices for seniors, and political rise fueled by undisclosed corporate loans, these ads are the Gold Standard of hypocrisy," Rubio spokesman Joe Pounder said in a statement. "Floridians know Marco is the only candidate who can beat Hillary Clinton and usher in a new American Century with a stronger economy and national defense."

Keep the Promise I has been largely funded by an initial donation of $11 million from New York hedge-fund magnate Robert Mercer. The super PAC has since spent over $7.5 million in support of Cruz, and it had $2.7 million cash on hand at the end of January.

Keep the Promise I was not the only pro-Cruz outside group Monday seeking a piece of the action in Florida. Make DC Listen, a political action committee supporting Cruz, was rallying supporters with the possibility that the Texas senator could pull off an upset in the Sunshine State and "turn the race upside down."

"One of the single biggest ways to stop Trump at this point in the race is for Ted Cruz to win Florida," John Drogin, the head of the PAC, said in an email to backers, calling a vote for Rubio "a vote for Trump."

Peter Ticktin
4 March at 20:55

VOTE AS YOU WISH, AND LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT TRUMP - - A personal note from Peter Ticktin who knows the guy from high school:
As a law firm, we at The Ticktin Law Group do not like to get involved in politics. As soon as we endorse one side, we risk alienating everyone on the other side. Also, our lawyers and staff are, themselves, on both sides. Politics is not our game. However, Justice is!
If you saw a guy get publicly smeared, and you knew him well from the days you were friends and seniors together in high school, if you knew him to be a decent and honest man, would you want to say something? This is why I need to share what I know.
I was aghast at watching last night’s debate. It was a set-up. The moderators, Cruz, and Rubio were all like little alligators trying to take a bite out of Trump. Yes, Donald Trump has had some failures, but he has been exceedingly successful. None of this came out. Instead, there was a general attack. Rubio simply makes up lies. He pretends that Trump has small hands and makes fun of him for something which isn’t even real. He pretends that Donald wets his pants, and makes fun of him, as though it was true, and then he calls Donald Trump a “Bully.”
I am not suggesting that you should vote or not vote for anyone. I just need to defend a former friend who is being smeared.
Like Donald Trump, I attended New York Military Academy (”NYMA”) for high school. In fact, in our senior year, together, Donald was my captain, and I was his 1st Platoon Sergeant. I sometimes joke that I ran his first company for him, Company “A.”
People don’t really change much from the ages of 17 and 18, and I know this guy. I know him to be a good decent guy. We lived and breathed an Honor Code in those years. It wasn’t just a rule. It was our way of life. Neither Donald, nor any other cadet who graduated with us would ever lie, cheat, or steal from a fellow cadet. These values became irreversibly intertwined in the fabric of our personalities, of who we are.
Of the 99 guys (no girls in those days) in our class, there is not one who I know who has a bad word to say about Donald Trump. Think of it. With all the jealousies which arise in high school and thereafter, with all the potential envy, not one of us has anything other than positive memories of this man. How could we? He was an “A” student, a top athlete, and as a leader, he was highly respected. We never feared him, yet we never wanted to disappoint him. He had our respect. He was never a bigot in any way, shape or form. He only hates those who hate. Of course he denounces the KKK.
As to the discussion with the New York Times, it is his choice to release the ‘off the record’ remarks. However, if he does, it opens the door for all political opposition to make that demand for everyone, and that means that our press will never get those ‘off the record’ remarks which help them to understand the realities of the campaign. Moreover, the idea that Donald Trump confessed some alternate theory of his position is preposterous. Can anyone believe that all those NY Times reporters are walking around knowing some deep dark nasty secret about a guy who is seeking an endorsement?
The Republican establishment is afraid of Donald Trump. Why? They are afraid that he will lose to Hillary. They don’t hate Donald. They hate her. They are so fearful that they fail to see that by expanding the base of voters for Trump, he is more likely to win.
Watching the chorus of whiners, decriers, denigrators, and self-righteous put-down experts from so many directions, from Mit Romney, to Megyn Kelly, Little Mario, it has to make you wonder. Why? Why are so many people so angry with Donald Trump, that they are lying, name calling, ridiculing, and demeaning him as they do. Either they are afraid, or they know him to be evil.
This is why I feel the need to speak out at this time. I know this man. He is a lot of things, but he is not evil. He is a decent honest guy who loves this country, and who is willing to sacrifice so much of what is left of his life, because he knows that this country needs to be fixed, and that it is going to require someone who can do the job. He just doesn’t see anything around him other than political hacks, so he is willing to take this huge responsibility.
I’m not saying that he is the only one who can do the job. My point is simply as to his motivation and his goodness.
This next decade is going to be one of major changes. We all see the climate changing, and the world food supply is getting lower. Our fish stock around the world is running low. Oil prices will cause countries to fail. The Middle East is beyond repair, and we have become weak and ineffective around the world. Donald Trump sees the issues and knows that he can assemble leaders who would have the best chance of fixing things. This is why he is running. He does not need it for his own aggrandizement. He doesn’t need another big jet or to take up residence in the White House. He just wants things to be fixed, and he knows that the politicians won’t fix anything.
I knew Donald Trump and was close to him in our senior year in high school. I just want you to know that there is nothing to fear from him. His character is as good as it gets. He is a patriot, taking on a heroic task, and being thanked by massive abuse.
If you want to see a true reflection of a man, look at his children. Need I say more?

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