***Horse Race LiveWire*** Brokaw Mocks as Fabricated Rubio-Reality Implodes

Welcome to Breitbart News’s daily live updates of the 2016 horse race.

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8:10: Former RNC Chair Michael Steel says on MSNBC that “Armageddon will break out” on the floor of the RNC convention if the establishment tries to steal the nomination from Trump.

8:08: Neocons who want to continue George W. Bush’s foreign policy against Trump. 

8:00: Just 50 tickets for GOP’s Thursday’s debate went to public.

7:57: Bill Bennett:

7:55: Stephen Moore may endorse Trump, according to the Washington Post:

Stephen Moore, a conservative economist and former member of The Wall Street Journal editorial board, said he is considering an endorsement. “For me, Trump potentially represents a big expansion of the Republican Party, a way to bring in those blue-collar Reagan Democrats,” Moore said. “That’s necessary if the party is going to win again.”

7:50: Chris Matthews points out on Hardball that Bill Clinton disappeared from the campaign trail when Donald Trump brought up all of Clinton’s dirty laundry after Hillary Clinton tried to play the “war on women” card on him. Mitt Romney and his

7:45: Trump promises to be a “dealmaker” in new video:

7:30: Seems like Rubio doesn’t want to be a comedian after his Super Tuesday losses.

7:18: Anti-Trump forces panicking as they try to con donors out of millions to try to derail Trump. CBS’s Dickerson say it is a “long shot” that Trump will be stopped:

It’s a long shot. There is definitely motivation. I asked someone involved in the anti-Trump effortto rank the Republican panic on a scale of one to ten, and he said 11. But harnessing that panic requires politicians and party regulars to organize themselves quickly, and there’s no leader in this effort. It requires them to take a big risk. Normally they don’t like to be on the wrong side of public opinion. And there’s no guarantee [it will work] — attacks from establishment could very well make Trump stronger.

7:16: Herman Cain:

7:10: Romney already being ridiculed:

6:40: Trump Blasts Romney, Rubio:

6:30: CNN Report: Cruz considered dropping out if he lost Texas:

Ted Cruz would have seriously considered dropping out of the Republican presidential race had he lost his home state of Texas on Super Tuesday, his campaign’s chief strategist told donors Wednesday.

In a detailed 30-minute call with several dozen donors, Jason Johnson said that Cruz himself was comfortable stepping aside if he had lost Texas.

6:20: On CNN, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) actually said that Mitt Romney is not a “poll-tested” politician with a straight face. How stupid does he think voters are? After a comment like that, nothing he says after will be taken seriously.

5:48: Huge enthusiasm gap:

5:44: deBlasio introducing Clinton:

5:43: Paul Ryan spokesman:

“We have heard from the campaign but the two have not yet spoken. We expect the speaker to be in touch with all the remaining candidates soon to discuss our efforts to build a bold conservative policy agenda for 2017.”

5:41: Rubio in Michigan:

5:40: In what will surely sway Trump’s Republican supporters, the liberal Los Angeles Times editorial board declares that Trump is “unfit” to be president.

5:35: New York Magazine: More Bad News for Marco Rubio: He Just Lost the Support of Fox News

In his role as the donor class’s darling, Marco Rubio has enjoyed support from the Republicans’ media arm, Fox News. Throughout the primary, Fox provided Rubio with friendly interviews and key bookings, including the first prime-time response to Barack Obama’s Oval Office address on ISIS. Many of the network’s top pundits, including Stephen Hayes and Charles Krauthammer, have been enthusiastic boosters. Bill Sammon, Fox’s Washington managing editor, is the father of Rubio’s communications director, Brooke Sammon.

But this alliance now seems to be over. According to three Fox sources, Fox chief Roger Ailes has told people he’s lost confidence in Rubio’s ability to win. “We’re finished with Rubio,” Ailes recently told a Fox host. “We can’t do the Rubio thing anymore.”

5:30: Michigan Poll: Trump +10

5:25: Not having a good Super Tuesday and hurling desperate insult after insult may cause Rubio to lose his voice:

5:22: Rubio doesn’t think his “personal attacks” didn’t backfire on Trump because “they’re not personal attacks. He’s been personally attacking people…” Rubio says he doesn’t think Trump will secure enough delegates to win the nomination and accuses him of being a con man.

5:20: Trump on bringing in more voters to the GOP:

5:19: Chuck Todd points out that Trump’s strength in the key swing exurban counties should worry Clinton in a potential general election. ABC News last night on Trump’s Cracker Barrel/Whole Foods coalition:

Super Tuesday provided convincing evidence that Trump’s appeal extends across Cracker Barrel territory and well into Whole Foods land, to borrow a phrase used by FiveThirtyEight.com. Two states where Trump romped -– rolling up some of his biggest margins yet — tell that story.

Massachusetts is a New England state that’s the fifth wealthiest in the nation. Alabama is a Southern state that’s the fifth poorest. On Tuesday, they formed unlikely poles holding up a broadening Trump tent.

5:15: Kasich: Maybe Rubio is taking votes away from me:

5:10: Trump adviser Huckabee Sanders: Voters supporting Trump because they want to destroy the “Washington-Wall Street axis of power” and Trump is the only person who can shake things up.

5:08: On CNN, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s senior adviser, says this is an “election” and “not a selection process.” She accuses people in the establishment of fearing that they are “losing control” because Trump is not their handpicked guy. She hopes the GOP establishment follows the lead of the voters. She says that to say that Trump is not unifying the party is bogus when he won states like Massachusetts and Alabama with two different demographics. She says Trump has surrounded himself with a great team, takes in a lot of information, and makes his own decision after processing all of it. She says that’s exactly what people should want in an executive. She says Republicans who are saying they won’t vote for Trump dislike Clinton even more and they will eventually come around.

4:41: Hannity: Rubio now a ‘pawn’ for the establishment:

4:39: Murdoch: GOP would be “mad” not to unify around Trump if he becomes nominee:

4:33: Updated Super Tuesday delegate count:

4:27: Breitbart’s Spiering :

4:25: Sanders said he needs a haircut

3:59: Interesting comments from noted Trump critic Alex Castellanos:

3:55: Kasich says he has he had a “very nice conversation with Dr. Ben Carson” and says he “held his head high” and is “a very good man.” He asks the audience to give Carson a round of applause.

3:48: After nearly 20,000 Massachusetts Democrats left the party to become Republicans or independents–most likely because of Trump–and Trump won MA’s GOP primary in dominant fashion last night, Massachusetts GOP Gov. Charlie Baker says he won’t vote for Trump in November.

3:35: Kasich appealing to Democrats:

3:32: Sanders appeals to Michigan workers by highlighting his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal. It’s an argument that may work for Trump as well.

3:30: Now Romney is trying to a tough guy:

3:22: Impact of Carson vote:

3:02: Carson still very popular:

2:55: Trump, not Sanders, revolutionizing politics:

2:52: Greg Abbott making case for Cruz:

2:45: What to expect in Romney’s speech:

2:30: Establishment seems angry today:

2:25: Top former Romney adviser Fehrnstrom: GOP leadership could make more progress by supporting Trump:

“There are Republicans opposing Trump, but they are a tiny minority when you look at the voting,” Eric Fehrnstrom, a Republican consultant who was a senior adviser to Romney’s campaign, said in an interview. “The party leadership could make more progress if they focused on building bridges instead of burning them.”

Fehrnstrom noted that Romney won six of 10 contests on Super Tuesday four years ago. In the Super Tuesday contests that took place this week, Trump won seven of 11 states.

“What usually happens right now is the party rallies behind the presumptive nominee,” Fehrnstrom said. “I suspect that will happen, but it looks like the process will take itself a bit longer to work out.”

2:17: According to Josh Newby, Floridians, especially in Pensacola, are excited about Trump, according to Pensacola Magazine editor Josh Newby. He has not seen too many Rubio signs or watch parties while Trump is appealing to veterans and evangelicals, he says on MSNBC.

2:15: MSNBC’s Craig Melvin has been reporting and anchoring from Ohio. He says Democrats seem to be holding their noses and voting for Clinton and clearly sees a lack of enthusiasm on the left eight years after Obama galvanized so  many to the polls.

2:13: Ben Carson releases statement: He’ll discuss more about the future of his movement at CPAC on Friday.

2:00 – Ben Carson bombshell. He will not attend Thursday’s presidential debate–BUT he is not suspending, at least until he speaks at CPAC.

1:28 – Details on Romney’s speech (via AP):

Mitt Romney is expected to speak out about the Republican presidential race.

The 2012 GOP presidential nominee announced plans to deliver speech about the 2016 race on Thursday at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Romney has been critical of 2016 front-runner Donald Trump on Twitter in recent weeks and has yet to endorse any of the candidates.

His office says the speech is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. EST.

1:17 – Looks like Kasich is behind Rubio’s 2nd-place Virginia finish:

1:13 – 140 characters or less oppo dump.

1:04 – Fox News reports Mitt Romney will make a “major speech” tomorrow in Utah regarding the presidential race.

1:01 – Via the Guardian: Trump dominates in Texas border town where proposed wall would be built.

12:55 – Trump vs ads:

12:36 – Via Politico, Democrat strategists say Hillary could be underestimating Trump:

It’s time to stop pointing and laughing at the Republican primary. For all the GOP front-runner’s flaws, many veteran Democrats are beginning to conclude, Donald Trump is a canny operator who just might end up in the White House if they’re not careful.

He appears to be cracking the code with white working-class voters who could help him put blue Rust Belt states in play against Hillary Clinton. He’s helping to fuel record turnout in GOP primaries and he’s mastered the media like no candidate in recent memory, with his constant feeding of catnip to cable TV and his 140-character missiles on Twitter.

“It’s fair to say there’s been a graveyard already out there of people underestimating him,” said Doug Sosnik, a former Bill Clinton White House adviser. “And I am old enough to remember the sort of Democratic intelligentsia that was hoping Ronald Reagan would be nominated by Republicans in 1980 because everyone knew he was a doddering old right winger who could never get elected president.”

“So there is some danger to underestimating his candidacy,” Sosnik said. “Having said that, I have enough confidence in the judgment of the American people to never elect someone like Donald Trump president of the United States.”

12:30 – Kasich misses an event in Michigan:

12:23 – Clinton campaign outraised by Sanders again:

12:15 – Rubio casts an early ballot in Florida:

The Florida Republican, accompanied by his wife Jeanette Rubio, arrived at the West Miami City Commission to cast his ballot for the Florida primary’s early voting. Reporters were not allowed to enter the polling center and they could not see Rubio actually cast his ballot. Although, a Rubio staffer rushed to retrieve his wallet after because he didn’t have his official identification with him.

12:02 – Fox News reporter wants to correct the record on his network’s treatment of the GOP candidates.

11:36 – Redskins player: I’m ‘off the Trump bandwagon’

11:28 – Recriminations begin?

11:05 – Democrat turnout way DOWN; Republican turnout way UP.

11:00 – Tavis Smiley: Black America could get on Trump train

For many black voters, I think it’s fair to say that, at the moment, at least, Trump is no Romney.

Consequently, there is no reason to believe that if he is his party’s nominee, Donald Trump wouldn’t make a serious play for black voters. Who knows how much he might skim? In a close election, it might not take much.

 

10:44 – Establishment moving from Rubio to Cruz?

10:34 – SCORCHED EARTH: Rubio Super PAC runs KKK ad against Trump in Missouri. Where were these ads against Barack Obama?

10:05 – First Read: “Given the split field, you have to like Trump’s chances in Florida and Ohio”

The Republican best positioned to stop Trump in Florida (Rubio) is someone who won just one state last night and finished third in delegates. And the Republican best positioned to stop Trump in Ohio (Kasich) still hasn’t won a single state and has earned a total of just 23 delegates. What’ more, neither Rubio nor Kasich seem built to win the nine contests — Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, DC (with this maybe being the one exception) — between now and March 15.

9:36 – Daily News still in Desperate-Troll mode:

9:19 – This coming Saturday March 5, and Tuesday March 8, eight states and Puerto Rico vote in the GOP primary. Here are what the polls tell us — which is not much:

Monday March 5

Kansas – Trump +12

Kentucky -Last poll had Jeb Bush +1

Louisiana -Last polls had Carson up +4, Trump up +13

Maine – Last poll had Christie +13

Puerto Rico (March 6) – no polls

Tuesday March 8

Hawaii -No polls

Idaho -No polls

Michigan – Trump +19.4

Mississippi – Very old poll has Trump +7

9:12 – Bookmaker Pays Out Early on Trump Winning Republican Nomination

Paddy Power Betfair Plc, Ireland’s largest bookmaker, is paying out 120,000 euros ($130,000) on Donald Trump winning the U.S. Republican presidential nomination.

Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton each won seven states on their way to commanding victories in Super Tuesday contests.

“Since 1988, the candidate to clean up on Super Tuesday has always gone onto win their party’s nomination,” the Dublin-based bookmaker said in e-mailed statement on Wednesday.

9:00 – Podhoretz: “Here’s how Rubio and Cruz can still take down Trump”

So you’re saying there’s a chance.

8:40 –  The Hill: “Clinton almost halfway towards the Dem nomination after Super Tuesday”

Hillary Clinton will walk away with the majority of Super Tuesday delegates as she continues to march past Bernie Sanders toward the Democratic party’s presidential nomination.

The former secretary of State has already won 457 Super Tuesday delegates, according to a tally from The Associated Press, while Sanders had 286. One hundred and twenty-two delegates were up for grabs as of early Wednesday morning, out of the 865 total pledged delegates awarded by Super Tuesday states.

 

8:36 -NBC’s Tom Brokaw mocks Rubio.

8:35 – WaPo: “1 million more people have voted in Republican primaries than Democratic ones”

8:30 – On “MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” The Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol admits he is prepared to give Hillary the Oval Office in order to defeat Trump.