WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — Sen. Marco Rubio is pressing his unlikely campaign to stop Donald Trump at all costs, even suggesting that his supporters might support Ohio Governor John Kasich in his home state to keep the controversial billionaire presidential candidate from earning enough delegates.
Rubio held a post-debate press conference at the Temple Beth El here in West Palm Beach to discuss Trump’s foreign policy weaknesses, but the topic quickly turned to his electoral strategy.
“Yeah, if a voter in Ohio is motivated by stopping Donald Trump, comes to the conclusion that John Kasich can beat him there, then I expect that’s the decision they will make,” he said.
But he urged supporters in Florida to continue supporting him, as he says it’s the best chance to beat Trump in his home state.
“I can tell you that in Florida, I’m the only one that can beat Donald Trump, whether someone supports Ted Cruz or John Kasich, if you vote for them in Florida, it’s in essence voting for Donald Trump,” he said.
Rubio asserted that he had not discussed the issue with Kasich, and that his thought on the matter was merely an “observation.”
“Clearly John Kasich has a better chance of winning Ohio than I do,” he said.
Rubio asserted that Trump still wouldn’t win enough delegates on Tuesday to get the nomination.
“I don’t think Donald Trump will have the majority of the delegates, unless he wins Florida and Ohio and even there he would struggle to get there,” he said.
When reporters brought up consistent polling that showed him behind Trump, Rubio dismissed them.
“How do you know he is leading?” he asked, citing mistaken polling in Virginia before their primary that showed him behind by 20 points. “I would have beat him, had I had another two days of campaigning,” he said confidently.
Rubio is betting that last minute flurry of campaign activity in the state will help him close the gap between he and Trump before Tuesday’s primary.
“By the way, voters in this election have shown a propensity to change their minds and to do so quickly,” he said.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.