Posted on 03/02/2016 9:00:23 AM PST by Sybeck1
Each of the 60 previous Republican presidential candidates who carried their home state did so with a larger percentage of the vote than Cruz; Cruz is one of only six who failed to reach the 50 percent mark
The Ted Cruz campaign delivered on its promise to win the Texas primary on Tuesday and then exceeded ‘expectations’ by also coming in first place in the neighboring state of Oklahoma and the Alaska caucuses.
With four victories now under his belt, Cruz will attempt to use his comparatively successful electoral track record against the remaining non-Trump candidates (Marco Rubio, John Kasich, Ben Carson) in an attempt to expedite their withdrawal from the race.
To be sure, the Texas U.S. Senator’s victory in his home state – and the most delegate rich state on the primary calendar thus far – was crucial for the Cruz campaign, and avoided an embarrassment that might have pressured him to withdraw after Super Tuesday.
While Cruz escaped that unenviable situation, his victory in Texas is decidedly shy of impressive.
In fact, by one measure, it is the least impressive home state primary victory in party history.
A Smart Politics analysis finds that Ted Cruz’s 43.8 percent showing in Texas marks the lowest support ever recorded by a Republican presidential candidate in a home state victory out of the more than five-dozen campaigns to win their home state since 1912.
Over the last 104 years since the debut of presidential primaries, Republican White House hopefuls have successfully carried their home state in a presidential primary 61 times.
Prior to Cruz’s plurality win in Texas on Tuesday, only five of these candidates failed to win a majority of the primary vote en route to their home state victory:
(Excerpt) Read more at editions.lib.umn.edu ...
And yet multiple outlets breathlessly reported that Cruz was in trouble, and would likely lose in Texas. Talk about moving the goalpost.
This is still a crowded field. Bush, Paul, and others were still on the ballot and received a decent share of votes, including many early votes. Carson and Kasich are taking votes and Rubio is still playing the spoiler. I would say 43.75% percent was downright impressive. 50% would have been a grand slam - but NOBODY expected that. My gosh Cruz beat Trump by nearly 500,000 votes (1,239,158 to 757,489). Set Cruz votes aside and more votes were cast for anyone other than Trump - 837,154).
In my precinct for early voting, in the time I was paying attention, not a single Democrat ballot was requested. That seemed rather odd since my area is probably 60/30 RNC. How many dems were voting in the RNC primary for Trump?
Spinning this as a negative for Cruz is just plain stupid.
If Cruz won 99% of the vote, some would still spin it as a loss. Consider the source.
voting on first ballot is reserved for nominees that have won majority of delegates in 8 states plus the minimum delegates, essentially 54% of all delegates.
Trump is really the only candidate who is on that track.
Not Ted. Ted must bank on having no candidates to meet 1st ballot threshold.
Its a simple math problem.
“Ted Cruz is not that far from Donald Trump yet people seem to hate him for continuing to run.”
The problem I have is how Cruz has gone about his campaign. It’s abundantly clear, even though some who claim “ conservative purity” here think otherwise, Ted Cruz hasn’t made the sale with the voters and Trump is going to be the nominee. So it is that I don’t “hate” Cruz for continuing to run, I hate him for the tactics of distruction he’s currently employing in his effort to stay in. Both he and Boobio have employed tactics that go beyond decency. So while there was a time I’d have considered Cruz, that time has passed due to they way he’s been conducting himself. You really see what someone is made of when the chips are down. Being willing to do and say anything that you think will advance your cause, irrespective of the relevance and decency involved, makes Cruz a looser in my book. He’s been down in the gutter since Iowa. Now the gutter is flushing him toward the drain.
Most people don’t know that Texas after reconstruction and voting rights were restored didn’t elect a Republican to a statewide office until 1976
Bill Clements was elected governor. That was like 104 years of Democrats.
KS just had their GOP convention and we elected a new State Party Committeman, who just happens to be on Cruz state team!
Having chatted with some of our Super Delegates, as our new Party Committeman is, almost no one is attracted to Trump.
We have our Caucus this Saturday and it is a "closed" Caucus so no liberal/Democrats will be diverting our election.
I expect Trump to do well but it's extremely unlikely he'll take much. One has to win 3/4 (75%) of a congressional district to take that district. Then one has to take 3/4 (75%) of all districts to take all delegates
What is your state's rules, or do you know them?
Texas has an open primary as well. My lib nephew is a Hillary supporter, but crossed over to vote Rubio.
[Cruz is one of only six who failed to reach the 50 percent mark ]
CRUZ did well considering he had two former Presidents and the GOP Establishment campaigning against him.
You’re right there is a lot of crossover voting for political reasons. But there is also a lot of fed up blue collar Dems who are disgusted with the communists that have taken over their party.
Get serious. How many of those had 5 candidates running? None. This is garbage.
When Cruz talked about NY values, he was not talking about conservatives and he wasn’t talking about 9/11 reactions, when people (aside from the politicians, of course) put aside politics and went into survival mode.
“Having chatted with some of our Super Delegates”
The GOP DOES NOT HAVE super delegates.
“KS just had their GOP convention and we elected a new State Party Committeman, who just happens to be on Cruz state team!”
Oh, so you are basically hoping that this major conflict of interest will somehow produce a win for Cruz, based on what? He’s going to rig it in his favor?
“We have our Caucus this Saturday and it is a “closed” Caucus so no liberal/Democrats will be diverting our election.”
Of Course! The new Woo for the Cruz people.
“Duuuur the only reason Trump won was because they weren’t closed primaries!”
So he should be handed the nomination, and not actually compete for it?
I’ve never seen a candidate that is too stupid to win in natural constituencies, but still feel like they are entitled to the nomination!
You say Trump reminds you of one of the men selling magic elixir from a wagon. And he might just me.
Cruz reminds me of one of those old tent revivalists “selling” salvation.
I worked EV in TX yes ppl minorities crossing into R primary for Trump. Had what was seemingly an IA voting Trum as he needed help to operate voting machine and translation too
did you dream that brilliance up all by yourself?
My point was I recall also rans saying same thing you just did in 2012
It struck me as funny
I said I'll support my guy, Cruz, till Trump wins the nomination, not before?
...then support Trump over Hillary or whoever.
What's your beef Daddy?
They are the Governor of each state (GOP of course) and nationally elected officials!
You speak as though you are in the know but you apparently have little understanding of party politics so I'll not continue any conversation with you.
Most of the white, blue collar and rural Democrat supporters of decades past in Texas and elsewhere in the South have either switched parties or passed away. Rick Perry started his career as a Democrat, but switched parties as his constituency moved away from the party of FDR and LBJ. I don’t believe that there is any rural, white majority county in Texas that votes Democrat in national or state elections.
Mat 5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
Mat 22:37 And he said to him, “You shall love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Deut. 6:5, 10:12, 30:6) 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”(Leviticus 19:18)
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