Posted on 09/30/2015 9:31:46 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
With the Summer of Trump behind us, the GOP presidential primary race is beginning to take shape.
The sharp decline and hasty exit of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker leaves only four truly competitive candidates for the Iowa Caucuses on Feb. 1: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Donald Trump, Ben Carson and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Cruz has the strongest ground game of that group and is the best-funded. Carson is better organized than most realize, but has an unproven team and is an unproven candidate. I agree with many experts who believe we now have seen Trump's peak in polling, and Huckabee probably has a 20 percent ceiling.
If Cruz wins Iowa, conservatives will unite behind him quickly.
The GOP field has 15 active candidates, but it will narrow further before year's end - and perhaps by the end of October once fundraising figures are made public and the CNBC debate occurs.
What matters now is, where are you competing?
Iowa has those four competitors - and Cruz has as good a chance as any of them.
New Hampshire has former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and perhaps New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
The top two candidates in both contests will survive and advance.
With an eye toward the early states next year, the recent CNN debate was a clarifying moment for the campaign.
It again offered voters a chance to see Trump's complete lack of policy depth.
It allowed Carly Fiorina to rise into the first tier and ensure that she will be in every prime time debate going forward. With one simple statement, she badly damaged Trump with women by cleverly responding to his attack on her appearance.
The CNN debate massively helped Fiorina and somewhat damaged Trump. Everyone else was lost in the middle.
Cruz was solid, substantive and delivered some good points on the Iran Deal and Planned Parenthood. He did not make headlines and he did no damage to himself.
And from that position, Cruz has been incredibly steady, making progress every day. He has an excellent political organization and is building a national organization with an eye toward the "SEC primary" on March 1.
It is entirely possible that on March 2, Cruz will have the most delegates in the GOP field.
On March 1, Cruz is likely to receive at least two-thirds of the delegates that Texas offers that day.
As the field will continue to narrow, he will consolidate support as the strongest conservative in the race and a viable alternative to Trump.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Bush are the two most likely establishment finalists.
Cruz's team had made a calculation that the GOP primary will result in a final head-to-head matchup of a conservative grassroots candidate and Jeb Bush. It may turn out to be a conservative grassroots finalist and Trump.
This strategic approach benefited Cruz in his long shot bid for the U.S. Senate in 2012. At that time, he knew that in the primary, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst was the front-runner; but in a primary runoff, Dewhurst would become the long shot. So forcing the runoff was the whole ball game.
This scenario may be playing out again. If Cruz can be a finalist against either Bush or Trump, he believes he becomes the front-runner.
Cruz's team thought Bush would be the long shot in a final race against a conservative candidate. But Trump has turned the race upside down.
What Cruz has going for him: a reliable candidate performance, well-funded campaign, strong political organization, enthusiastic base support, real path in Iowa and South Carolina, and the second-richest Super PAC.
What Cruz has working against him: the hatred of the GOP establishment and questions about his electability.
Cruz has a very real path to the GOP nomination; every day his chances improve.
If he is the nominee against Hillary Clinton, it will be a fantastic contrast.
Gotta send Cruz a few $$$$ after his epic speech! Looking forward to Rand and and others dropping out soon.
I stand with TED! www.tedcruz.org/donate
This is what I have been saying, based on how Cruz managed his campaign in Texas. A highly qualified candidate and organized to contact the grass roots voters and get them to the polls.
I sent 100 bucks today....inhave volunteeres for local congressional candidates but never donated to a before...
I watched that speech yesterday. Excellent.
Tagline.
Same consultant:
July 27, 2015
After calling McConell a liar, Mackowiak Says Cruzs Impact as Senator Will Be Minimal in Future
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3317413/posts
He’s got plenty of money (though, like any candidate, he can obviously use more), he is close enough to a couple of others to pick up their support when they collapse, and he’s one of the toughest guys in the field.
You must be somebody if you have a Twitter stalker
@notmackowiak
https://mobile.twitter.com/NotMackowiak
I have predicted for some time that Trump will eventually endorse Cruz.
That speech is a must see for ALL Americans. Was great - and I’m sure his fellow Senators hate him for exposing the truth.
I’d love to see him on the Supreme Court.
Go Cruz!!!
I just love this guy!
Presidency first, Supreme Court later on.
I get several donation request a day from tedcruz.org which is over the top but he’s the guy as far as I’m concerned.
I get those too since I sent some $$$ to the Cruz campaign, but it’s different from 1988 when I sent $25 to the GHW Bush campaign & my CPA wife said “They’ll spend that on additional mailings to you” (she was right).
Nowadays, what does it cost the candidate to blast out several million solicitations with nice graphics & personalized message, by email? Next to nothing, I would think.
Anyway, CRUZ or lose in 2016!
I took your suggestion and watched a bit, focused on the last 3 minutes ...
I never could have imagined that “anyone” could/would give the GOPe leadership the “Pattonesque” slap-in-the-face that it needed ...
Ted Cruz is brilliant, poised ... for all their smiles, the GOPe is TERRIFIED of this Ted Cruz ...
“What Difference does it Make ?”
.
“I agree with many experts who believe we now have seen Trump’s peak in polling...”
=======================================================
The media is getting to the point of psychosis with this....they just can’t believe Trump is still around with a fairly commanding lead. It was supposed to be a fluke, he’ll implode, he’s not serious, blah, blah, blah...
I know the conventional wisdom is as others drop out, the votes will go to remaining candidates other than Trump. Wisdom has not been very conventional thus far.
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