Posted on 02/24/2016 8:30:17 PM PST by TigerClaws
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The “southern firewall†Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign has been building for months appears to be crumbling under the weight of Donald Trump’s staying power and Marco Rubio’s resurgence.
The Cruz campaign told Yellowhammer Wednesday night they are pulling out of the Presidential Forum set to be held at Samford University in Birmingham on Saturday, and will not be holding any other events in Alabama ahead of election day. Senator Marco Rubio’s campaign, however, reiterated their commitment to the event.
The move is one of the most open indicators to date that Cruz has failed to pick up steam in the Bible Belt South, once believed to be his geographic stronghold and his most likely path to the nomination.
Numerous southern states and almost a quarter of the Republican delegates are up for grabs in the so called SEC Primary on March 1st.
Yellowhammer CEO Cliff Sims said Cruz’s exit from the state so close to election day is unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected.
“Decisions like this are difficult for any campaign to make, but they have to do what they think is best,†he said. “Once a campaign goes into survival mode, sometimes they have to cut their losses and move resources where they can be most effective. A candidate’s time is the most valuable resource any campaign has.â€
South Carolina Republican strategist Hogan Gidley said Cruz’s lackluster performance in his home state was the first public sign that Cruz’s southern strategy was not coming together.
“It does definitely put a dent into the manufactured reputation that Cruz is coalescing all conservatives,†he told National Review. “I think we can put an end to that myth.â€
A longtime Alabama political consultant who is not working for a presidential campaign but has seen presidential campaign polling numbers through other state-level campaigns told Yellowhammer Cruz’s path to the nomination could be disappearing.
“If Cruz — the Texan, the staunch evangelical, the anti-Washington guy — can’t win in Alabama and across the South, he can’t win,†the consultant said on condition of anonymity so he could speak freely. “I’ve seen polling in the last week that shows Cruz in third in Alabama, far behind Trump and behind Rubio, too. It might become apparent after March 1st that Cruz’s goose is cooked.â€
Senator Rubio is scheduled to be in both Birmingham and Huntsville on Saturday. Donald Trump is scheduled to be in Huntsville on Sunday. No other Republican candidates are currently scheduled to campaign in the state ahead of the March 1st primary.
I’m afraid you may be right.
The conservative rubio WH lobbyist romps and foam parties should be fun. It could be like the clinton frat house again.
Not my kind of conservatism, personally.
And how Cruz is the ONLY conservative in politics and how Cruz supporters are the ONLY conservatives in FR.
It does get old.
Very old. Especially After Cruz enabled Obama’s secret trade agenda and all the other questionable moves he has made.
I wouldn’t have a problem voting for Cruz in the general over Hillary. Just don’t berate me that he’s the “consistent conservative” when he is without a shadow of a doubt not.
...and then they mock his Christianity
Cruz mocks his own Christianity with his pretentious displays of piousnesss while making millions and donated basically nothing to charity. Cruz Family Values, indeed.
Then why all the talk about “his place was VP”
——He’s a niche candidate and not running to be the general election candidate.
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That’s my impression. He’s running so he can fund-raise for the next 20 years on his “conservatism”.
I hope he can actually accomplish things as a senator, and not fall into the trap of just being a mouth (and depository of funds) for the religious right, like so many before him.
When I call people “punks” on this site, I am referring to people such as you. Ted is the only man who has stood for us, and you laugh derisively at him. This is all so disgusting, Bud. You’ve become as bad as the left.
I liked Cruz but he just seems to have developed a Nixonian kinda “dirty tricks” reputation.
I hope Texans have the insight and understand why Cruz is doing what he is doing. Texas is Cruz’s last hope. Goodbye Rafael.
Trump will build a wall on the Texas and USA Mexico border and have Mexico pay for it. Trump said this in his early speeches. cruz and abbot have not done a damn thing to stop the illegals invasion of Texas and the USA at the Mexico border
Cruz nor any politician has not ever done a damn thing to stop the flood of socialist illegals and Muslim invaders at the Texas USA Mexico border. Cruz is off campaigning for another job and to get million dollar donations from rich internationalist donors while Texas is being overrun by an invasion illegal immigrants that will destroy America. where are his bills or actions to build walls at the Texas border ? Nowhere. This harvard lawyer with 150 IQ as fake as all the other politicians .
Only Trump has stood up against the media, China, Mexico ,illegals, Muslims (All of the enemies of America and freedom). etc. All other politicians have not stood up nor said anything against ALL of these enemies of America.
President Trump will tame China! China has been eating our lunch as China makes everything.China uses unfair trade deals against the USA. Where the factories are ,the technology is and so is the power and wealth.China knows this ,S Korea, Japan all of Asia knows this. No one understands this here in America except me and Trump!
Only Trump can make America great again. He is a businessman and is a tribute to all the business men who built America : Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, J.P. Morgan, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, The Wright Brothers, Alexander Graham Bell, Andrew Carnegie ,Schwab etc.
Trump will build a wall on the Texas and USA Mexico border and have Mexico pay for it. Trump said this in his early speeches. cruz and abbot have not done a damn thing to stop the illegals invasion of Texas and the USA at the Mexico border
cruz only has given fake speeches to brainwash all to get millions in donations form rich internationalist donors. no actions only lies. cruzers been conned by a politically ambitious harvard lawyer and do nothing abbot
Cruz has not even said anything against China nor Mexico cause he is owned by China and Mexico and so is his wife
Where are the initiatives or bills from Cruz for border walls or to stop china’s unfair practices and deals ? Ha he wrote an article that is lies and propaganda promoting fast track trade powers for the most
evil villain ever Obama here is the proof:
Ted (TPA) Cruz helped push Obamatrade on us which is the worst thing ever for America:
http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/international/239750-ted-cruz-joins-the-establishment
Establishment, globalist advocates published what will go down as the most disingenuous, deceitful and outright dishonest promotional piece on behalf of the so-called fast-track trade authority that could have been written. Authored by establishment GOP Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and heretofore “conservative†Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the op-ed in The Wall Street Journal is a compilation of talking points and slick dodges. It is textbook propaganda that would make the disinformation experts of the KGB blush.
The dynamic duo start by asserting that the U.S. must strengthen the countrys bargaining position by giving President Obama fast-track powers. Really? The GOP Congress thinks it is vital to our national interest to expand the powers in Obamas hands?
Go Trump!
Face it, you’ve all been conned by a false prophet ! I tell Muslims the same thing and get a similar reaction when I tell them they’ve been conned by a false prophet named Muhammad.
His private polls and focus groups must be very scary for him and even Beck.
That will never happen for two reasons:
1. Trump will not do it.
2. If Trump did it, the senate would not approve hime
That St. Rafael ground game was going to be so powerful that it would make the Earth spin off its axis and crash into the sun?
That ground game got chewed up by the Trump tornados, his voters.
The only one...oh brother.
Read the comments from the Cruz followers on just this thread.
Agree.
I know there are some here who genuinely think Trump is a good candidate, but even if they are taken in by his fame and grandstanding it is hard for me to imagine the hatred of Cruz. Cruz has been a stalwart conservative on nearly every issue for a long time. He was conservative when it was difficult and unpopular to be conservative. He is not just a Republican, he is a conservative. And as far as I can tell, he has never changed his opinion on something for the sake of advancing his own interests.
I'm not in heat for Cruz, but I don't like the bashing one little bit.
FR ain't what it used to be.
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