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| Republicans to debate in Miami as Bush meets non-Trump candidates – live | Republicans to debate in Miami as Bush meets non-Trump candidates – live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 6.46pm GMT | |
| 18:46 | |
| Video: Trump supporter sucker-punches black protestor | |
| 6.37pm GMT | |
| 18:37 | |
| Scott Bixby | |
| The second poll today shows Republican frontrunner Donald Trump leading Florida senator Marco Rubio by single digits in the beleaguered candidate’s home state. | |
| Trump holds a 9-point lead over Rubio in Florida, according to the latest poll from Suffolk University, with support of 36% of likely Republican voters to Rubio’s 27%. Texas senator Ted Cruz is in third place with 19% of the vote, with Ohio governor John Kasich at a mere 10%. The results were released only hours after a Washington Post/Univision poll of likely Floridian Republican voters found that found Trump leads Rubio by 7 points in the Sunshine State. | |
| Other polls have found the real estate tycoon with a double-digit lead in Florida, boosted by surveys showing that one-fourth of Florida’s early voters - that is, those who have already cast their ballots - are first-time or long-dormant voters, a key Trump demographic. | |
| Rubio has pinned the fate of his campaign on winning his home state, which has a winner-take-all primary scheduled on Tuesday. Although the polling gap may be narrowing, Trump’s lead could conceivably shrink to a single vote and he would still take home all 99 of Florida’s delegates. Along with his lead in Ohio, another winner-take-all state with a primary scheduled for Tuesday, Trump has declared that if he wins the next two major states, he’ll have sewn up the nomination. | |
| 5.35pm GMT | 5.35pm GMT |
| 17:35 | 17:35 |
| Report: Ted Cruz to get his first US senate endorsement | Report: Ted Cruz to get his first US senate endorsement |
| Texas senator Ted Cruz is about to receive his first endorsement from a colleague in the US senate, according to Buzzfeed. | Texas senator Ted Cruz is about to receive his first endorsement from a colleague in the US senate, according to Buzzfeed. |
| Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, will reportedly endorse Cruz’s candidacy for president on Thursday afternoon. Lee, who like Cruz is a former constitutional lawyer who arose to prominence on the back of the Tea Party movement, was Cruz’sbiggest - and only - ally in his bid to defund the Affordable Care Act in 2013. It was that episode that alienated Cruz from many of his Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill, a possible explanation for the tardiness of a single endorsement from the US senate for the candidate. | Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, will reportedly endorse Cruz’s candidacy for president on Thursday afternoon. Lee, who like Cruz is a former constitutional lawyer who arose to prominence on the back of the Tea Party movement, was Cruz’sbiggest - and only - ally in his bid to defund the Affordable Care Act in 2013. It was that episode that alienated Cruz from many of his Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill, a possible explanation for the tardiness of a single endorsement from the US senate for the candidate. |
| 5.27pm GMT | 5.27pm GMT |
| 17:27 | 17:27 |
| Marilynne Robinson | Marilynne Robinson |
| The public is exasperated by the political system to the point that it is enjoying a kind of catharsis in the form of Donald Trump, writes Marilynn Robinson: | The public is exasperated by the political system to the point that it is enjoying a kind of catharsis in the form of Donald Trump, writes Marilynn Robinson: |
| Donald Trump is not really exceptional among current Republican presidential candidates. He is the one with the brightest plumage, of course, and the one who has had long experience at cultivating celebrity. If Trump seems strangely incapable of consistency except in the matter of walling out and deporting immigrants, somber Ted Cruz is lurking nearby to alarm us with his ideological purity. If Trump is his own invention, there is Rubio, the polished creature of hired advisors and their moment-to-moment calculations. | Donald Trump is not really exceptional among current Republican presidential candidates. He is the one with the brightest plumage, of course, and the one who has had long experience at cultivating celebrity. If Trump seems strangely incapable of consistency except in the matter of walling out and deporting immigrants, somber Ted Cruz is lurking nearby to alarm us with his ideological purity. If Trump is his own invention, there is Rubio, the polished creature of hired advisors and their moment-to-moment calculations. |
| The only satisfaction to be found in a Trump win lies in the fact that the others have lost, and lost badly. On the other hand, Trump’s bluster distracts attention from the others’ stated positions, so if one of his competitors manages finally to make the case, to the public or the party, that he is least objectionable, the claim might well be groundless. | The only satisfaction to be found in a Trump win lies in the fact that the others have lost, and lost badly. On the other hand, Trump’s bluster distracts attention from the others’ stated positions, so if one of his competitors manages finally to make the case, to the public or the party, that he is least objectionable, the claim might well be groundless. |
| Trump and the others are the product of the souring of the party system. Someone should point out, in these days when the constitution is so constantly and pietistically invoked, that political parties are not mentioned in the constitution, and that the prescient founders warned emphatically against them for reasons that should be clear to us now. | Trump and the others are the product of the souring of the party system. Someone should point out, in these days when the constitution is so constantly and pietistically invoked, that political parties are not mentioned in the constitution, and that the prescient founders warned emphatically against them for reasons that should be clear to us now. |
| Related: Trump: the great orange-haired Unintended Consequence | Marilynne Robinson | Related: Trump: the great orange-haired Unintended Consequence | Marilynne Robinson |
| 5.08pm GMT | 5.08pm GMT |
| 17:08 | 17:08 |
| Mahita Gajanan | Mahita Gajanan |
| Supreme court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is co-writing a new book to be released in January 2017. | Supreme court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is co-writing a new book to be released in January 2017. |
| The book, entitled My Own Words, will comprise of a “selection of writings and speeches by Justice Ginsburg on wide-ranging topics, including gender equality, the workways of the supreme court, on being Jewish, on law and lawyers in opera and on the value of looking beyond US shores when interpreting the US constitution”, according to a statement from Simon and Schuster. | The book, entitled My Own Words, will comprise of a “selection of writings and speeches by Justice Ginsburg on wide-ranging topics, including gender equality, the workways of the supreme court, on being Jewish, on law and lawyers in opera and on the value of looking beyond US shores when interpreting the US constitution”, according to a statement from Simon and Schuster. |
| My Own Words will be a collaborative effort between Ginsburg and her authorized biographers, Mary Hartnett and Wendy W Williams. Ginsburg will write an introduction to the book and Hartnett and Williams will write introductions to each of the chapters with quotes from the hundreds of interviews they have conducted with Ginsburg for a forthcoming biography of the justice. Hartnett and Williams will also assist Ginsburg in selecting the writings to be included in the book. | My Own Words will be a collaborative effort between Ginsburg and her authorized biographers, Mary Hartnett and Wendy W Williams. Ginsburg will write an introduction to the book and Hartnett and Williams will write introductions to each of the chapters with quotes from the hundreds of interviews they have conducted with Ginsburg for a forthcoming biography of the justice. Hartnett and Williams will also assist Ginsburg in selecting the writings to be included in the book. |
| Ginsburg is one of the supreme court’s most public figures, a liberal champion, and a feminist pop culture icon. Last year, the book Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, based on a fan site, proved a popular hit. | Ginsburg is one of the supreme court’s most public figures, a liberal champion, and a feminist pop culture icon. Last year, the book Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, based on a fan site, proved a popular hit. |
| 4.47pm GMT | 4.47pm GMT |
| 16:47 | 16:47 |
| Karl Rove, Republican political consultant and architect of George W Bush’s political career, dismissed a major speech given last week by Bush’s would-have-been successor, Mitt Romney, that took aim at Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. | Karl Rove, Republican political consultant and architect of George W Bush’s political career, dismissed a major speech given last week by Bush’s would-have-been successor, Mitt Romney, that took aim at Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. |
| “I respect governor Romney a lot, but I thought it was the wrong message from the wrong messenger on the wrong day,” Rove told Michigan radio show host Michael Patrick Shiels. “This was the day of the debate, and so it’s going to get overwhelmed largely by last night, and I thought the speech was good but not great, and it gave Trump a chance to come back and remind his supporters of the thing that motivates them, which is: Romney lost.” | “I respect governor Romney a lot, but I thought it was the wrong message from the wrong messenger on the wrong day,” Rove told Michigan radio show host Michael Patrick Shiels. “This was the day of the debate, and so it’s going to get overwhelmed largely by last night, and I thought the speech was good but not great, and it gave Trump a chance to come back and remind his supporters of the thing that motivates them, which is: Romney lost.” |
| “With Donald Trump supporters, this sense of aggrievement that ‘we could have won’ - which a lot of Republicans feel, me included, and it would have much better for the country if we had won, it is an important touchpoint for his supporters,” Rove continued. | “With Donald Trump supporters, this sense of aggrievement that ‘we could have won’ - which a lot of Republicans feel, me included, and it would have much better for the country if we had won, it is an important touchpoint for his supporters,” Rove continued. |
| 4.21pm GMT | 4.21pm GMT |
| 16:21 | 16:21 |
| LIVE: Marco Rubio speaking in Kissimmee, Florida: | LIVE: Marco Rubio speaking in Kissimmee, Florida: |
| 3.54pm GMT | 3.54pm GMT |
| 15:54 | 15:54 |
| Failure to turn around his dwindling fortunes in his home state would likely end Marco Rubio’s presidential bid, report the Guardian’s Sabrina Siddiqui and Richard Luscombe, and some polls have Donald Trump ahead by double digits. | Failure to turn around his dwindling fortunes in his home state would likely end Marco Rubio’s presidential bid, report the Guardian’s Sabrina Siddiqui and Richard Luscombe, and some polls have Donald Trump ahead by double digits. |
| Beneath his veneer of confidence was the reality that Rubio faces mounting pressure after a series of losses in the Republican primaries that have only appeared to grow more bruising with each passing contest. And while some pollsshow Rubio slowly inching closer to Donald Trump in Florida, several others find the Republican frontrunner leading by double digits. | Beneath his veneer of confidence was the reality that Rubio faces mounting pressure after a series of losses in the Republican primaries that have only appeared to grow more bruising with each passing contest. And while some pollsshow Rubio slowly inching closer to Donald Trump in Florida, several others find the Republican frontrunner leading by double digits. |
| Even a number of influential conservatives who had previously waxed poetic about his prospects threw in the towel on Wednesday, suggesting that Rubio should suspend his campaign. | Even a number of influential conservatives who had previously waxed poetic about his prospects threw in the towel on Wednesday, suggesting that Rubio should suspend his campaign. |
| Absent a win in Florida, it is all but certain Rubio will have no other option but to quit the race. And so while crisscrossing his home state with the fate of his presidential aspirations in their hands Rubio is imploring voters to understand the urgency of the moment. | Absent a win in Florida, it is all but certain Rubio will have no other option but to quit the race. And so while crisscrossing his home state with the fate of his presidential aspirations in their hands Rubio is imploring voters to understand the urgency of the moment. |
| Speaking in an airport hangar in Sarasota, Rubio struck a similarly pressing tone: “It has to happen here, and it has to happen now.” | Speaking in an airport hangar in Sarasota, Rubio struck a similarly pressing tone: “It has to happen here, and it has to happen now.” |
| Related: Marco Rubio battles sinking feeling as campaign hopes come down to Florida | Related: Marco Rubio battles sinking feeling as campaign hopes come down to Florida |
| 3.31pm GMT | 3.31pm GMT |
| 15:31 | 15:31 |
| Former secretary of state and Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton has been accused of skirting the rules during last night’s Democratic primary debate in Miami. | Former secretary of state and Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton has been accused of skirting the rules during last night’s Democratic primary debate in Miami. |
| Sanders aide Jeff Weaver told me photo circulating of @HillaryClinton w/staff during debate break violates DNC rules pic.twitter.com/CYeowyNI7y | Sanders aide Jeff Weaver told me photo circulating of @HillaryClinton w/staff during debate break violates DNC rules pic.twitter.com/CYeowyNI7y |
| Fox News Channel reporter Ed Henry tweeted a photo from backstage at the debate that appears to show Clinton with her campaign staff during a commercial break. Candidates are barred from meeting with aides during debates. | Fox News Channel reporter Ed Henry tweeted a photo from backstage at the debate that appears to show Clinton with her campaign staff during a commercial break. Candidates are barred from meeting with aides during debates. |
| Clinton spokesperson Jen Palmieri told Henry that she “wasn’t aware of the pic.” | Clinton spokesperson Jen Palmieri told Henry that she “wasn’t aware of the pic.” |
| Billionaire Republican frontrunner Donald Trump was accused of of breaking similar rules during the latest Fox News debate, leading the network to suspend the rule for all of the Republican candidates so as to level the playing field. | Billionaire Republican frontrunner Donald Trump was accused of of breaking similar rules during the latest Fox News debate, leading the network to suspend the rule for all of the Republican candidates so as to level the playing field. |
| 3.09pm GMT | 3.09pm GMT |
| 15:09 | 15:09 |
| Some good news for Barack Obama: | Some good news for Barack Obama: |
| More Americans say that he’s doing a good job as president than have said so in the past three years, according to the latest Gallup poll of the president’s approval rating. | More Americans say that he’s doing a good job as president than have said so in the past three years, according to the latest Gallup poll of the president’s approval rating. |
| Obama earned a 50% job approval rating for the week ending March 6, the highest average for the president since May of 2013. That’s four points higher than his average approval rating for all of last year, and three points higher than his administration’s average since January of 2009 when he took office. | Obama earned a 50% job approval rating for the week ending March 6, the highest average for the president since May of 2013. That’s four points higher than his average approval rating for all of last year, and three points higher than his administration’s average since January of 2009 when he took office. |
| The rating is extremely partisan, with 87% of Democrats approving of the job Obama is doing as president compared to a mere 11% of Republicans. | The rating is extremely partisan, with 87% of Democrats approving of the job Obama is doing as president compared to a mere 11% of Republicans. |
| 2.56pm GMT | 2.56pm GMT |
| 14:56 | 14:56 |
| Christopher R Barron | Christopher R Barron |
| It’s the final primary stretch, and Donald Trump is starting to sound presidential, writes Christopher R Barron: | It’s the final primary stretch, and Donald Trump is starting to sound presidential, writes Christopher R Barron: |
| Trump is not a typical candidate, and he hardly delivers a typical political stump speech, but there is no question that the political neophyte has been a quick study. Trump is a vastly better candidate than he was just a few months ago. He seemed restrained by Trump standards last night. He looked, dare I say, almost... presidential. | Trump is not a typical candidate, and he hardly delivers a typical political stump speech, but there is no question that the political neophyte has been a quick study. Trump is a vastly better candidate than he was just a few months ago. He seemed restrained by Trump standards last night. He looked, dare I say, almost... presidential. |
| He was short on policy specifics, but his voters aren’t coming for wonky policy details. What he lacks in policy chops he more than compensates for in his ability to connect to voters. He knows his voters, he knows what they want to hear, and he gives it to them, delivering a powerful emotional moment in his rally when a Marine vet, left disfigured by an IED explosion, came on stage to ask him what he would do about healthcare for veterans. | He was short on policy specifics, but his voters aren’t coming for wonky policy details. What he lacks in policy chops he more than compensates for in his ability to connect to voters. He knows his voters, he knows what they want to hear, and he gives it to them, delivering a powerful emotional moment in his rally when a Marine vet, left disfigured by an IED explosion, came on stage to ask him what he would do about healthcare for veterans. |
| Another sign of Trump’s growing confidence about his prospects for securing the nomination: he barely mentioned his primary opponents. Instead of attacking his GOP rivals, Trump made the case that he would be the best candidate to defeat Hillary Clinton. And he didn’t make a terrible case. | Another sign of Trump’s growing confidence about his prospects for securing the nomination: he barely mentioned his primary opponents. Instead of attacking his GOP rivals, Trump made the case that he would be the best candidate to defeat Hillary Clinton. And he didn’t make a terrible case. |
| Related: It's the final primary stretch, and Trump is starting to sound presidential | Christopher R Barron | Related: It's the final primary stretch, and Trump is starting to sound presidential | Christopher R Barron |
| 2.32pm GMT | 2.32pm GMT |
| 14:32 | 14:32 |
| Scott Bixby | Scott Bixby |
| As Donald Trump’s campaign manager continues to dodge questions about a physical alternation with a female reporter at a press conference on Tuesday, multiple videos have surfaced showing an anti-Trump protestor being punched in the face by a supporter of the billionaire Republican frontrunner. | As Donald Trump’s campaign manager continues to dodge questions about a physical alternation with a female reporter at a press conference on Tuesday, multiple videos have surfaced showing an anti-Trump protestor being punched in the face by a supporter of the billionaire Republican frontrunner. |
| The videos, taken from different angles by multiple people, show an African American man being led out of a Trump rally by Cumberland County sheriff officers as the audience boos. | The videos, taken from different angles by multiple people, show an African American man being led out of a Trump rally by Cumberland County sheriff officers as the audience boos. |
| A bystander, a white man with a pony tail and a cowboy hat, then sucker-punches the man in the face seemingly without provocation. The crowd cheers as the protestor stumbles away and is tackled by multiple Cumberland County sheriff officers, then handcuffed. | A bystander, a white man with a pony tail and a cowboy hat, then sucker-punches the man in the face seemingly without provocation. The crowd cheers as the protestor stumbles away and is tackled by multiple Cumberland County sheriff officers, then handcuffed. |
| The candidate, whose rallies have begun earning a reputation for violent outbursts, has not condemned the actions of his supporters in the past. During an interruption at one of his rallies in Kentucky last week, Trump told the audience to “get him out. Try not to hurt him. If you do I’ll defend you in court.” | The candidate, whose rallies have begun earning a reputation for violent outbursts, has not condemned the actions of his supporters in the past. During an interruption at one of his rallies in Kentucky last week, Trump told the audience to “get him out. Try not to hurt him. If you do I’ll defend you in court.” |
| After a rally in Birmingham, Alabama, in which white attendees assaulted a black protester who disrupted his speech, Trump declared “Maybe he should have been roughed up.” | After a rally in Birmingham, Alabama, in which white attendees assaulted a black protester who disrupted his speech, Trump declared “Maybe he should have been roughed up.” |
| Of a protestor at a rally on Las Vegas, Trump told the crowd from the lectern that “I’d like to punch him in the face.” | Of a protestor at a rally on Las Vegas, Trump told the crowd from the lectern that “I’d like to punch him in the face.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 6.03pm GMT | at 6.03pm GMT |
| 1.58pm GMT | 1.58pm GMT |
| 13:58 | 13:58 |
| Scott Bixby | Scott Bixby |
| A writer at Breitbart News has released a statement regarding an incident at a Donald Trump rally on Tuesday night in which she was forcibly “yanked” away from the candidate by Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski. | A writer at Breitbart News has released a statement regarding an incident at a Donald Trump rally on Tuesday night in which she was forcibly “yanked” away from the candidate by Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski. |
| Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields was reporting from a press conference at the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, on Tuesday night, when she approached the candidate to ask him about his stance on affirmative action, she writes for the conservative outlet in a post titled “Michelle Fields: In Her Own Words.” | Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields was reporting from a press conference at the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, on Tuesday night, when she approached the candidate to ask him about his stance on affirmative action, she writes for the conservative outlet in a post titled “Michelle Fields: In Her Own Words.” |
| “Trump acknowledged the question, but before he could answer I was jolted backwards. Someone had grabbed me tightly by the arm and yanked me down,” Fields writes. “I almost fell to the ground, but was able to maintain my balance. Nonetheless, I was shaken.” | “Trump acknowledged the question, but before he could answer I was jolted backwards. Someone had grabbed me tightly by the arm and yanked me down,” Fields writes. “I almost fell to the ground, but was able to maintain my balance. Nonetheless, I was shaken.” |
| Fields says that she didn’t know who had pulled her down until another reporter “remarked that it was Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who aggressively tried to pull me to the ground.” Lewandowski was seen exiting the space with Trump moments later. | Fields says that she didn’t know who had pulled her down until another reporter “remarked that it was Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who aggressively tried to pull me to the ground.” Lewandowski was seen exiting the space with Trump moments later. |
| “No apology. No explanation for why he did this,” Fields writes. | “No apology. No explanation for why he did this,” Fields writes. |
| Jaime Weinstein, a senior editor at Daily Caller and Fields’ boyfriend, tweeted about incident soon thereafter: | Jaime Weinstein, a senior editor at Daily Caller and Fields’ boyfriend, tweeted about incident soon thereafter: |
| Trump always surrounds himself w thugs. Tonight thug Corey Lewandowski tried to pull my gf @MichelleFields to ground when she asked tough q | Trump always surrounds himself w thugs. Tonight thug Corey Lewandowski tried to pull my gf @MichelleFields to ground when she asked tough q |
| It wouldn’t be the first time that members of Trump’s campaign or security team had a physical altercation with members of the press. Last week, longtime Time photographer Chris Morris was put in a chokehold and slammed backwards into a table by a Secret Service agent at a rally in Virginia after attempting to leave the designated press area. | It wouldn’t be the first time that members of Trump’s campaign or security team had a physical altercation with members of the press. Last week, longtime Time photographer Chris Morris was put in a chokehold and slammed backwards into a table by a Secret Service agent at a rally in Virginia after attempting to leave the designated press area. |
| In a statement to Politico about the incident, Breitbart News CEO Larry Solov declared that if what Fields says it true, she deserves an apology from Trump’s campaign manager. | In a statement to Politico about the incident, Breitbart News CEO Larry Solov declared that if what Fields says it true, she deserves an apology from Trump’s campaign manager. |
| “It’s obviously unacceptable that someone crossed a line and made physical contact with our reporter,” Solov stated. “What Michelle has told us directly is that someone ‘grabbed her arm’ and while she did not see who it was, Ben Terris of the Washington Post told her that it was Corey Lewandowski. If that’s the case, Corey owes Michelle an immediate apology.” | “It’s obviously unacceptable that someone crossed a line and made physical contact with our reporter,” Solov stated. “What Michelle has told us directly is that someone ‘grabbed her arm’ and while she did not see who it was, Ben Terris of the Washington Post told her that it was Corey Lewandowski. If that’s the case, Corey owes Michelle an immediate apology.” |
| 1.32pm GMT | 1.32pm GMT |
| 13:32 | 13:32 |
| This morning in politics | This morning in politics |
| Good pre-and-post-debate morning ... | Good pre-and-post-debate morning ... |
| We’re in the blissful hours between last night’s Democratic presidential debate in Miami and tonight’s Republican presidential debate in Miami. | We’re in the blissful hours between last night’s Democratic presidential debate in Miami and tonight’s Republican presidential debate in Miami. |
| Last night’s Latino-centric engagement on Univision saw immigration policy dominate the fourth Hillary v Bernie clash, with former secretary of state Clinton accusing Vermont senator Sanders of supporting “Minuteman vigilantes in their ridiculous efforts to hunt down immigrants.” | Last night’s Latino-centric engagement on Univision saw immigration policy dominate the fourth Hillary v Bernie clash, with former secretary of state Clinton accusing Vermont senator Sanders of supporting “Minuteman vigilantes in their ridiculous efforts to hunt down immigrants.” |
| Sanders, in turn, criticized Clinton’s past statements about deporting child immigrants from Honduras. | Sanders, in turn, criticized Clinton’s past statements about deporting child immigrants from Honduras. |
| Both Democratic candidates agreed on one point, however: that the American people will never elect billionaire Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. | Both Democratic candidates agreed on one point, however: that the American people will never elect billionaire Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. |
| Clinton declared at the debate that she found Trump’s rhetoric “deeply offensive” and said his “trafficking in prejudice and paranoia” would not be tolerated, while Sanders went a step further and implied Trump might be a racist, due to his previous involvement in the “birther” movement. | Clinton declared at the debate that she found Trump’s rhetoric “deeply offensive” and said his “trafficking in prejudice and paranoia” would not be tolerated, while Sanders went a step further and implied Trump might be a racist, due to his previous involvement in the “birther” movement. |
| Expect a similar dogpile on the Republican frontrunner in Miami again tonight: Florida senator Marco Rubio may have expressed regret about mocking the size of Trump’s hands in campaign rallies in recent weeks – telling Anderson Cooper that “my kids were embarrassed by it” and “if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t” – but a recent batch of polls show that Florida’s native son is far behind Trump in the waning days before its winner-take-all primary on Tuesday. | Expect a similar dogpile on the Republican frontrunner in Miami again tonight: Florida senator Marco Rubio may have expressed regret about mocking the size of Trump’s hands in campaign rallies in recent weeks – telling Anderson Cooper that “my kids were embarrassed by it” and “if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t” – but a recent batch of polls show that Florida’s native son is far behind Trump in the waning days before its winner-take-all primary on Tuesday. |
| Trump has gone on the record stating that if he wins Florida and Ohio – another delegate-rich winner-take-all state – next week, he’ll have sewn up the nomination. Or, as the New York Post put it: | Trump has gone on the record stating that if he wins Florida and Ohio – another delegate-rich winner-take-all state – next week, he’ll have sewn up the nomination. Or, as the New York Post put it: |
| This may explain why former Florida governor and failed Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush has scheduled three one-on-one meetings in the hours before tonight’s debate with all three of the non-Trump candidates. Bush met with Rubio yesterday, according to the New York Times, and will meet with Ohio governor John Kasich and Texas senator Ted Cruz today. What could they be meeting about? Well, for starters, Bush hasn’t yet endorsed a candidate for the Republican nomination. | This may explain why former Florida governor and failed Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush has scheduled three one-on-one meetings in the hours before tonight’s debate with all three of the non-Trump candidates. Bush met with Rubio yesterday, according to the New York Times, and will meet with Ohio governor John Kasich and Texas senator Ted Cruz today. What could they be meeting about? Well, for starters, Bush hasn’t yet endorsed a candidate for the Republican nomination. |
| We’ll be covering all this and more in our minute-by-minute coverage of today’s political news in the Sunshine State with our stellar team of mild-mannered reporters: Sabrina Siddiqui is in Florida with Rubio and Dan Roberts is in Tampa with Clinton. | We’ll be covering all this and more in our minute-by-minute coverage of today’s political news in the Sunshine State with our stellar team of mild-mannered reporters: Sabrina Siddiqui is in Florida with Rubio and Dan Roberts is in Tampa with Clinton. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.45pm GMT | at 1.45pm GMT |