How Trump Stole The South From Cruz
At one point during Mondays call, which lasted around 30 minutes, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin asked New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to discuss last weeks bombshell decision to back Trump. According to two sources familiar with the call, Christie mounted a detailed defense of his endorsement, explaining that hed known the real estate executive for over a decade and had grown confident in his ability to lead the country.
The stakes on Tuesday are perhaps highest for Cruz, who had once hoped to establish a stranglehold on Super Tuesday, carefully tailoring his evangelical image to the conservative states that are voting that day and campaigning heavily in towns throughout Tennessee and Oklahoma. He has described March 1 as the most important day of the Republican primary calendar.
Yet, with Trump rampaging throughout the South, its now possible that Cruz will only emerge with a win in his home state of Texas, a contest the senator has begun likening to the Alamo. Trump has made deep inroads into Cruzs evangelical base, portraying himself as a steadfast Christian while casting Cruz as the single biggest liar Ive ever seen. Jerry Falwell Jr., an influential evangelical leader and Trump supporter, has recorded a robo-call for the Trump campaign which is being sent to households throughout Virginia. In the call, Falwell, the president of Liberty University, tears into Cruz and accuses him four times of using dirty tricks.
Trump Says ‘markets Will Take Care Of Themselves’ After Stock Sell
Clinton won almost two-thirds of white women, who were 36% of the electorate, in addition to blowing out the margins with black voters. She won 84% of African Americans, and they were about a quarter of the electorate.
There haven’t been many good polls in Virginia. The last best one was a Monmouth poll from Feb. 18, which is a lifetime in a presidential primary race. It showed essentially a three-way tie for Sanders , Bloomberg and Biden â and it was conducted before Bloomberg’s first debate in Las Vegas, which was a spotty performance.
Sanders Wins Vermont Biden Wins Virginia
Sen. Bernie Sanders has won his home state of Vermont and former Vice President Joe Biden has won Virgini. Those announcements were made from exit polling as voting on those contests closed.
During his 2016 run, Sanders won the state by a wide margin 86% to Hillary Clintons 13% and took all of the states delegates.
The state carries a total of 16 delegates and is one of 14 states up for grabs tonight.
Earlier Tuesday, Sanders cast his ballot in Burlington, Vt.
It’s very nice to be back, I can tell you that, the Vermont independent told a poll worker.
“To beat Donald Trump, we are going to need to have the largest voter turnout in the history of this country,” Sanders told reporters. “We need energy. We need excitement. I think our campaign is that campaign.”
A Biden watch party in Alexandria, Virginia, erupted in cheers as the news came across the screen on CNN.
Biden was in Los Angeles, Calif, at the time and celebrated his early win with supporters there.
“It feels good. I think were going to do well in some other states.”
Recent polling had indicated Biden had an edge over his competitors, but Bloomberg poured thousands of dollars into campaigning there.
Virginia experienced its own “blue wave” last November when Democrats won control of both houses of the state’s General Assembly for the first time since 1993. A Republican hasn’t won a statewide race here for more than 10 years.
—Christal Hayes, Ryan Miller, John Fritze
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Am Clyburn: A Bit Surprised’ By How Well Super Tuesday Went For Biden
Rep. Jim Clyburn, the influential South Carolina Democrat, said Wednesday morning that he was a bit surprised by how well Super Tuesday went for Biden.
Clyburn endorsed Biden last week ahead of Saturday’s key South Carolina primary, a victory that triggered a resurgence of Biden’s campaign.
“It did go better than many of us expected. To be one point ahead in Maine, I didn’t expect that,” Clyburn said on CNN. “To be winning Massachusetts, I did not expect that at all.”
At the same time, Clyburn said he is not surprised by the victory in Texas.
He said if he were Elizabeth Warren or Mike Bloomberg, he would reassess, adding that he hopes Bloomberg will “coalesce” around Biden.
What To Keep An Eye On This Super Tuesday
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., will look to sweep delegate-rich states such as California and Texas with large Latino populations to assure his path to the nomination, while former Vice President Joe Biden, fresh off a big win in South Carolina, will focus on proving he has strong support nationwide, too.
Candidates like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who have struggled to perform well in early states, will be looking to pick up just enough delegates to keep their campaigns afloat.
Three candidates Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Warren and Sanders will be keeping an eye on how their home states vote. A home state loss could be a serious setback, especially for Klobuchar and Warren.
One wild card to watch out for this year: Tuesday will be the first time former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg will appear on a ballot. Bloomberg, who entered the race late, skipped early voting states entirely, instead focusing his efforts on Super Tuesday. Bloomberg has banked his entire candidacy on Super Tuesday, and we will soon see just how effective his unconventional strategy is.
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Biden Wins Minnesota Arkansas
Biden has won Minnesota, the day after hometown Sen. Amy Klobachur dropped out of the race and endorsed him.
Sanders won the state in 2016, when it was a caucus rather than a primary, by 23 points.
Biden also won Arkansas, giving the former vice president a sweep of the southern states that have voted thus far, including South Carolina, where his commanding win on Saturday launched his comeback.
Arkansas, where 31 delegates are at stake, was earlier declared a toss-up between Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, but the former vice president edged out the Vermont independent, respectively.
About a dozen supporters gathered at Elsies Restaurant Bar & Bowling Center in Minneapolis to watch returns trickle on a big-screen television. The quiet event initially drew about as many members of the media as Biden supporters but grew as the night went on, becoming more boisterous as the race was called in Biden’s favor.
Several of the people who had gathered said they had been Klobuchar supporters. She dropped out of the race on Monday.
I was sad and disappointed but not shocked, because shes smart and strategic and I know she wants the best chance to beat Donald Trump, said Erin Zamoff, a 49-year-old Edina resident. Amy was my girl, so I was sad. But I love Joe and Im fully on board.
– Brianne Pfannenstiel, Courtney Subramanian
Tennessee Extends Voting In Several Locations After Tornado Damage
A Davidson County judge Tuesday afternoon ruled that Tennessee polls can remain open until 8 p.m. CT at all sites across Nashville.
Polls were originally set to close at 8 p.m. ET. Five polling sites will remain open until 11 p.m. ET.
The ruling came at the request of four of the top Democratic presidential campaigns, along with the Tennessee Democratic Party. The groups filed suit in a Nashville court on Tuesday to extend poll times amid heavy tornado damage throughout the city. A voting-rights group had also urged Tennessee to extend Tuesdays primary voting in areas damaged by tornadoes.
Tornadoes killed at least 22 people and shredded at least 140 buildings amid violent storms ranging from Texas to North Carolina. A tornado cut a swatch of destruction through Nashville.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee declared a state of emergency. President Donald Trump said he would visit the region Friday to review damage from the very vicious tornadoes.
Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, part of a consortium monitoring election security on Tuesday, urged Lee, Secretary of State Tre Hargett and elections coordinator Mark Goins to extend the period for voting.
It is critical that all voters be provided a fair and full opportunity to vote, Clarke said. That is not possible for people in those parts of Tennessee that have been devastated by the tornado.
Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, and Adam Tamburin and Natalie Allison, Nashville Tennessean
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My State Is Voting On Super Tuesday Where Is My Polling Place
Voters can confirm polling station locations and times on their state’s election website by clicking on their state below. Registered voters can also verify on the election sites their voter status, whether their state allows same-day registration, election deadlines and if their primary is open doesn’t require voters to be affiliated with a political party closed or semi-closed.
When Will We Know The Results
For most of the states in play, we’ll get results in the hours after polls close. The one exception is California, which is notoriously slow to count its ballots. It accepts mail-in ballots up to three days after election day and gives county election officials 30 days to count them. In 2016, it took over a month to count them all its ballots.
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Which States Vote On Super Tuesday
What states vote on Super Tuesday?
Super Tuesday his March 3. Do you live in a Super Tuesday state? Find out.
With no Democratic presidential primary candidate yet claiming an overwhelming lead in the delegate race in the nations first primary battles, Super Tuesday is poised to play a huge role in the 2020 presidential nomination contest.
And with both California and Texas the nations two most populous states holding primaries on March 3, around 40 percent of Americans will be voting on Super Tuesday.
Alabama: The state holds an open primary, with 52 pledged delegates being awarded on a proportional basis.
American Samoa: The territory holds an open caucus, with the territory awarding six delegates on the basis of the results of the caucuses.
Arkansas: The state holds an open primary, with the 31 delegates being awarded on a proportional basis.
California: The state holds a semi-closed primary meaning only Democrats and unaffiliated voters can cast a ballot, with the 415 delegates being awarded on a proportional basis.
Colorado: The state holds a semi-closed primary meaning only Democrats and unaffiliated voters can cast a ballot, with the 67 delegates being awarded on a proportional basis.
Democrats Abroad: This is an open primary in which any U.S. citizen living abroad who is a member of Democrats Abroad can participate, with the 13 delegates being awarded on a proportional basis.
How Many Democratic Delegates Are At Stake
A lot.
There will be more than 1,300 delegates allocated on Super Tuesday, about a third of the total delegates and the most up for grabs on any single day in the primary calendar.
When you add in the 155 delegates from the four early voting states Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina nearly 40 percent of the total delegates will have been awarded after Super Tuesday.
A candidate needs 1,991 delegates to secure the nomination.
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Super Tuesday Was Created To Nominate Someone Moderate It Backfired
There’s a lot on the line, especially for Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Vice President Joe Biden. Sanders is the front-runner. He’s built a strong organization in these states that’s been buoyed by a multimillion-dollar ad campaign. Biden is lagging but hopes to ride a wave of momentum from his big win in South Carolina on Saturday.
And then there’s Mike Bloomberg. After spending hundreds of millions of dollars, Bloomberg will be on the ballot for the first time. Does he surprise and emerge as an alternative to Sanders, or will he siphon votes from Biden? And what impact might remaining candidates, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, have?
Here’s what to watch for and what you should know about each of the Super Tuesday states, in order of most pledged delegates.
Trump: Bloomberg Biggest Loser On Super Tuesday
President Donald Trump has declared a Super Tuesday loser: Mike Bloomberg.
The biggest loser tonight, by far, is Mini Mike Bloomberg, Trump wrote on Twitter. His political consultants took him for a ride. $700 million washed down the drain, and he got nothing for it but the nickname Mini Mike, and the complete destruction of his reputation. Way to go Mike!
Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor who staked his campaign on Super Tuesday, has yet to win a single state. But hell always have American Samoa, his only win of the night so far.
Trump also went after Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, calling her the nights other loser.
Elizabeth Pocahontas Warren, other than Mini Mike, was the loser of the night, he tweeted. She didnt even come close to winning her home state of Massachusetts. Well, now she can just sit back with her husband and have a nice cold beer!
– Michael Collins
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In Minnesota Disappointed Klobuchar Supporters Reassess The Field
ST. PAUL, Minn. The day after their home-state senator ended her presidential bid, many Minnesotans said they were scrambling to reassess the field as they headed to the polls on Super Tuesday.
John Berg, a 43-year-old Lutheran pastor from Woodbury, said he had planned to vote for Klobuchar because he thought she was the best match to take on Republican President Donald Trump in a general election. But when she announced Monday she would end her campaign, Berg said he decided to instead support U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
I thought Amy had a better chance of beating Trump, he said Tuesday after casting his ballot. But I like Elizabeths policies.
Klobuchars exit could leave as much as a third of the states Democratic primary electorate up for grabs, recent polling suggests.
A Star Tribune/MPR News Minnesota Poll conducted Feb. 17-20 showed Klobuchar leading the field with 29% to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 23%. And Klobuchars communications director, Tim Hogan, tweeted Monday that the campaigns internal polling pegged her support at 32% over Sanders at 19%.
– Brianne Pfannenstiel
Biden Called Klobuchar To Thank Her For The Endorsement
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Former Vice President Joe Biden called to thank U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar for her endorsement Tuesday night as cable networks and the Associated Press called the race in her home state for Biden, Klobuchars campaign manager Justin Buoen said Tuesday night.
Buoen stopped by Biden’s Super Tuesday watch party in Minneapolis, fielding thank yous and congratulations from grateful Biden supporters. He said Klobuchar was watching the results from home and plans to hit the road to campaign for the former vice president again this weekend.
I think Amy put him over the top here in Minnesota, he said. All the polls said our internals and the public polling that you all saw said that Amy was number one, Sen. Sanders was number two, and the vice president was third or fourth depending on the poll. So I think that her endorsement was a big deal and it helped put him over the top.
Though he said the night was bittersweet, he was proud of the way the campaign handled her exit from the race.
Amy wanted it to be about the Democratic Party, about the country and being bigger than herself, he said. And thats why she chose not to continue on. I think we would have won Minnesota, but we didnt see a path to the nomination. And so she made the determination that she was going to endorse the vice president, do everything she could to help him win in Super Tuesday states and Minnesota, and I think that was definitely the right choice.
– Brianne Pfannenstiel
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