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Cruz: I can win some blue states in the general election
Politico ^ | 01/14/16 08:46 AM EST | Nolan D. McCaskill

Posted on 01/15/2016 4:08:47 PM PST by Red Steel

Ted Cruz believes he can win some blue states in a general election, specifically Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and New Hampshire - all states the Republican nominee lost to Barack Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections.

Cruz said Mitt Romney and John McCain, the past two Republican nominees for president, lost those states because millions of conservatives didn’t vote.

Story Continued Below

"We haven't been bringing out the Reagan Democrats. I believe our campaign will do that,” Cruz said in an interview with U.S. News & World Report published Thursday. "And I'll point out, what we do know doesn't work is following the Bob Dole-John McCain-Mitt Romney plan - that, we know, produces double-digit losses. So, the Washington conventional wisdom is that we need to keep moving further and further left and sounding more and more like the Democrats. And every time we do that we lose by bigger and bigger margins."

In New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation primary state, Cruz polls fourth in a RealClearPolitics average of state polls at 10.8 percent. Donald Trump dominates the field at 30 percent, but Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich are in striking distance at 13 and 11 percent, respectively. Cruz maintains that his campaign is "underestimated" there but that his message is resonating with voters.

"Again looking at the informed voters, when we're there in front of a rally, early on, our rallies had two and three times the number of people that the Jeb Bush and Scott Walker rallies had, back when they were the expected dominant players," he said."“So I believe the message resonates well there."

"We have not put the resources into TV yet; we just went up on air, so we will be," Cruz continued. "Many of the people statewide haven't heard our message and have heard everybody else's. So I think we have a lot of upside. It's fairly remarkable, given that the rest of the field has spent $50 million, we've spent zero, that we are, in a variety of polls, essentially in a three--way tie for second."


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: canadian; cruz; ineligible
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To: RKBA Democrat
I like Cruz. The idea that he will inspire non-voters and cross-over voters, however, is far-fetched.

Trump, on the other hand, has that potential.

21 posted on 01/15/2016 4:46:54 PM PST by Dagnabitt (Islamic Immigration is Treason)
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To: patq
Based on current polls, Cruz is behind in 50 states.

I think Cruz is leading in Utah. Last I heard anyway. So he's got that going for him.

22 posted on 01/15/2016 4:48:03 PM PST by Wissa (Gone Galt)
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To: Kenny
In 1984, Republicans made a big issue of the "San Francisco Democrats". Jean Kirkpatrick used it in her convention speech, and the party went with it. They highlighted a particularly whacky part of America and it resonated. Reagan won California that year.

Nothing wrong with highlighting NY's whacked out liberal politics. Ted didn't pull it off very well, and Trump turned it around on him. Also, San Francisco hadn't suffered a major terrorist attack before Kirkpatrick's speech. Ted's problem was in the execution, and in not explaining well that his comment was about politics in NY, not about New Yorkers. It was a bad mistake, one that Reagan could have gotten out of with a laugh.

Trump may win New York. What he said, New Yorkers loved. Cruz has zero chance to win NY. That is a big number of electoral votes that practically guarantees Trump would win.

23 posted on 01/15/2016 4:52:49 PM PST by Defiant (RINOs are leaders of a party without voters. Trump/Cruz are leaders of voters without a party.)
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To: Red Steel

After that NEW YORK VALUES comment Ted is going to have a hard time winning blue states in the primary...


24 posted on 01/15/2016 4:55:50 PM PST by SteveSCH
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To: DaveyB
Trump has to get along with people to be successful in a global business. Cruz has worked in the government most of his life. He is considered a grandstanding gadfly in the Senate with little to show in accomplishment. He is such a pariah that he can't even convince his Rep colleagues in the Senate to help him get things done. What will change if he is in the WH?

Maybe Cruz should read The Art of the Deal.

25 posted on 01/15/2016 4:57:15 PM PST by kabar
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To: Red Steel

I’m not sure he could win his home state.


26 posted on 01/15/2016 4:57:39 PM PST by bigbob ("Victorious warriors win first ande then go to war" Sun Tzu.)
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To: Defiant

Two things.

1. Cruz hit an entire STATE not just a city.
2. Reagan was from California.


27 posted on 01/15/2016 4:58:10 PM PST by SteveSCH
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To: GnuThere

No Republican is gonna come close to carrying NY. No, not Trump either. It’s one of the worst states in POTUS voting.


28 posted on 01/15/2016 4:58:15 PM PST by Impy (They pull a knife, you pull a gun. That's the CHICAGO WAY, and that's how you beat the rats!)
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To: SteveSCH

There are a lot of NYers in FL.


29 posted on 01/15/2016 4:58:52 PM PST by kabar
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To: kabar

There’s a lot of NYers everywhere. Cruz stepped in it.


30 posted on 01/15/2016 4:59:31 PM PST by SteveSCH
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To: SteveSCH

True there are a lot of us in SC.


31 posted on 01/15/2016 5:01:06 PM PST by kabar
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To: tennmountainman

Per Reuters, 25% of Independents don’t even think he is qualified to run.


32 posted on 01/15/2016 5:06:35 PM PST by sunrise_sunset
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To: SteveSCH
Two things:

1. Cruz can't win NY state. Upstate is dwarfed by the City.

2. Reagan was from California? I never knew. No wonder he won as governor in 66 and 70, and then when he ran for President in 80 and 84. You mean when he sent the national guard to Berkeley in the late 60s, it was cause he was from there? I wondered why all those Superior Court judges I was appearing in front of were Reagan appointees.

So, that would explain why he won California in spite of using the term "San Francisco Democrats". Thanks.

A thought: Maybe Cruz would have been better served if he said "New York Democrats", or "De Blasio Values", instead of "New York values". Execution was poor, and the effort to counterpunch at Trump backfired. Cruz has run a masterful campaign for the most part, but that was a big mistake.

33 posted on 01/15/2016 5:06:53 PM PST by Defiant (RINOs are leaders of a party without voters. Trump/Cruz are leaders of voters without a party.)
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To: Defiant
Trump brings the chance of a landslide.

The landslide will be for Hillary. Trump pisses off more folks than you care to admit.

34 posted on 01/15/2016 5:08:43 PM PST by DaveyB (Live free or die!)
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To: GnuThere

Cruz can’t win the presidential election because he was not born HERE!!


35 posted on 01/15/2016 5:08:46 PM PST by WENDLE (Trump is not bought . He is no puppet.)
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To: Red Steel

Here is the deal. No Republican, and certainly no evangelical, can ever win the Presidency from now on. Demographics has determined this to be true. There are now millions of more illegals (Latinos and muslims) voting in this election, and they will guarantee victory to the Democrats. Ted Cruze cannot will the election for President. Let me say this again unless you missed it: Ted Cruz cannot be elected President. He has zero appeal to anyone but Republicans. On the other hand, Donald Trump (who is neither Republican nor Democrat) had tremendous cross party appeal. If you Republicans are smart (we’ll see about that), you will rally around Trump and get out the vote come this November. Otherwise, it will be Democrat Presidents forever.


36 posted on 01/15/2016 5:08:54 PM PST by Carnac the Magnificent
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To: kabar
Maybe Cruz should read The Art of the Deal.

SO he can compromise for the deal like Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, John McCain, John Boehner - no thanks, Cruz does not need the art of the deal, he needs to keep talking and persuading people that liberty is good, but liberalism is bad.

37 posted on 01/15/2016 5:11:41 PM PST by DaveyB (Live free or die!)
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To: Dagnabitt

I don’t much like cruz, but I’m coming to the conclusion that he’ll be the veep candidate. Whether I like it or not. Recent exchanges have served to confirm that.

Maybe he’ll end up being an asset. Who knows? I think his highest and best use is on the scotus, but that doesn’t look so likely.


38 posted on 01/15/2016 5:14:46 PM PST by RKBA Democrat (Friends, don't let friends boink liberals.)
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To: Red Steel
Cruz will be lucky to win Florida.

200,000 Puerto Ricans have moved to Florida in the last 5 years because of the economic chaos in Puerto Rico.

If the Democrats can get them registered in time, 80% of them will vote for the Democrat nominee.

Romney won Florida by just 65,000 votes in 2012.

McCain lost Florida by 240,000 votes in 2008.

And, please remember that Romney won Texas with a higher percentage than Cruz won his Senate seat in 2012.

Please note I'm saying percentage - not the number of votes.

39 posted on 01/15/2016 5:14:50 PM PST by zeestephen
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To: DaveyB
If his policy is no compromise, he will find it very difficult to get anything done. Maybe he will take his cue from Obama and just write Executive Orders.

he needs to keep talking and persuading people that liberty is good, but liberalism is bad.

Yeah, that's the ticket. LOL. In the real world, it takes more than talk to get things done.

40 posted on 01/15/2016 5:17:19 PM PST by kabar
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