The days between Super Tuesday and March 15 when delegate rich states like Florida, Illinois and Ohio cast their ballots have been packed full of nominating contests. All across the country, voters went to the polls from Maine to Idaho, from Puerto Rico to Hawaii.
Hillary Clinton is the clear frontrunner on the Democratic side but Bernie Sanders is showing no sign of getting out of the race. On the Republican side, Ben Carson bowed out of the race on Friday, leaving four candidates still in the hunt.
Here’s a look at some of the winners and losers in recent contests even as Republicans await late results in Idaho and Hawaii, two of the smaller states on the electoral map, and the Democrats engage in a surprisingly close battle in Michigan.
Winners
Ted Cruz. The Texas Republican keeps insisting it’s a two man race for the Republican nomination. Cruz might have a point. He had strong second place showings in Louisiana and Kentucky and won in Kansas and upset Donald Trump in Maine. Cruz ran close to John Kasich in Michigan for second place on Tuesday night showing that conservatives outside the South and the Farm Belt are starting to come around. Still, as Trump pointed out in his victory speech on Tuesday night, the map doesn’t exactly favor Cruz in the coming days. One glaring chink in Cruz’s armor: Trump beat him repeatedly in the South which was supposed to have been Cruz country.
Luis Fortuño. After losing in 2012, it looked like the former Puerto Rican governor was done. But Fortuño showed once again why he was once a favorite of national Republicans. Granted there won’t be any more talk about Fortuño as a vice presidential candidate like there was in 2012 but he delivered big for Marco Rubio in Puerto Rico on Sunday. Few Rubio supporters have emerged as winners as the contest for the Republican nomination has continued but Fortuño was able to swim against that trend. Expect to see more of Fortuño on the campaign trail. Plenty of congressional Republicans would love to have him at their side as they try to woo Hispanic voters.
Bernie Sanders. After Hillary Clinton had a strong Super Tuesday, Sanders bounced back pretty well. Over the weekend, Sanders won in Kansas, Nebraska and Maine, even as Clinton took Louisiana. Even with Detroit slow on reporting in on Tuesday night, Sanders was enjoying a lead over Clinton in Michigan, a state where she had been favored to win. Of course Clinton blew Sanders out in Mississippi and she remains the solid favorite to win the nomination. But Sanders is showing he has enough oxygen to keep his campaign going while still bringing delegates into the fold.
Donald Trump. After Saturday, there was talk that Trump’s campaign had stalled. Trump might have prevailed in Kentucky and Louisiana but Ted Cruz pulled off the upset for a big win in Maine and carried Kansas. Late deciders broke heavily in Cruz’s favor. But Trump showed on Tuesday he hadn’t missed a step, scoring an early win in Mississippi and an impressive victory in Michigan. As he declared victory on Tuesday night, Trump turned his focus to November, stressing how important it was to help the GOP keep control of both chambers of Congress and gave a shout out to Paul Ryan. Trump also made the case for why he can beat Hillary Clinton in the general election, stressing his ability to round up some Democrats and independents. There’s a reason for that since his showing on Tuesday showed he hadn’t hit the wall regardless of how Cruz did over the weekend.
Losers
Sam Brownback. The conservative Kansas governor threw his support to Rubio and it didn’t pay off in the Sunflower State. Rubio placed a distant third in Kansas, carrying 17 percent and winning six delegates. Ted Cruz on the other hand ran off with a big win, taking 24 delegates and 48 percent of the vote. Brownback’s had more than his share of missteps over the years--he was knocked out of the 2008 presidential race after flopping in the Iowa straw poll--and he added another to the list.
Hillary Clinton. Yes, she is still ahead of Bernie Sanders. Yes, she is doing well with African-American voters. The Sanders win in Maine over the weekend can be dismissed as he ran strong in his New England stronghold. He also beat her in Kansas and Nebraska on Saturday, two states that will be near impossible for Democrats to carry in November. But she stumbled badly in Michigan on Tuesday night, a large state which will be a battleground in November, as her large lead in the polls there proved to be a mirage. Sanders came out swinging on trade and drew blood. Regardless of how the final vote stands in Michigan, Clinton should have done far better. As much as she wants to turn her fire towards Donald Trump in the days to come, Clinton is finding Sanders is still in her way.
Paul LePage. The feisty Maine governor was a prominent Trump supporter but couldn’t bring his candidate to victory in his home state. Ted Cruz pulled off the upset in Maine on Saturday, besting Trump with a double-digit win. That left a little bit of egg on LePage’s face. To his credit, LePage is sticking to his guns and hasn’t backed down in his support for Trump. Still, he does look a little weaker in the Pine Tree State than he had before the caucus.
Mitt Romney. While his father George might have been governor of Michigan, the former Massachusetts governor doesn’t have much luck there. He had to work in Michigan to beat Rick Santorum there in 2012 and Barack Obama carried the Wolverine State in the general election. Last week, Romney came out swinging against Trump and doubled down in Michigan, recording get out the vote calls for Marco Rubio--who came in distant fourth--and John Kasich who was battling Ted Cruz for second. Trump had a field day on Tuesday night in his victory speech, showcasing all his companies and products that Romney had said had gone under. Romney’s attacks against Trump simply didn’t work in a state where he has roots.
Marco Rubio. Sure he won Puerto Rico on Sunday, but Rubio stumbled badly on Super Saturday, taking less than 20 percent in all four states that were up for grabs. On Tuesday, Rubio was a total non-factor in Michigan, the largest prize on the board, pulling in single digits. Reports have emerged about divisions in the Rubio camp and the buzz is growing that some of his advisers want him to get out of the race. Rubio’s team has spent recent days looking to quash those rumors. Now he is fighting for his political life in Florida and the polls show him in second place behind Donald Trump on his home turf. Smelling blood in the water, Ted Cruz is now ramping up his activities in the Sunshine State with the goal of knocking him out of the race. Right now Rubio’s on the ropes and he needs an unlikely late round comeback to pull it out.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
