Donald Trump welcomes a senator, bashes Glenn Beck’s support of Ted Cruz
Donald Trump is so confident about the loyalty of his supporters that he predicted Saturday they would stick with him even if he shot someone. The Republican presidential front-runner bashed conservative commentator Glenn Beck‘s support of rival Ted Cruz and welcomed a figure from the GOP establishment, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, in rallies nine days before the Iowa caucuses open voting in the 2016 campaign. “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?” Trump told an enthusiastic audience at a Christian school, Dordt College. “It’s like incredible.” Beck campaigned for Ted Cruz and held little back in going after Trump. “The time for silliness and reality show tactics has passed,” Beck charged at a Cruz rally. He warned that a Trump victory in the Feb. 1 caucuses could have lasting consequences: “If Donald Trump wins, it’s going to be a snowball to hell.” Trump demonstrated the extent to which some in the Republican establishment have begun to accept a potential Trump nomination when Grassley introduced him at a later event in Pella. Grassley did not offer an endorsement, but his presence underscored Trump’s enduring positions at the top of the polls as voting approaches. Alex Conant, speaking for Marco Rubio‘s campaign, was quick to note, however, that Grassley will introduce Rubio at an Iowa rally in a week. Days after Trump was endorsed by tea party favorite Sarah Palin, Cruz flashed his own conservative muscle during a rally in Ankeny, Iowa. Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican and conservative firebrand, and Iowa social conservative leader Bob Vander Plaats encouraged local Republicans to unite behind Cruz. Beck praised the Texas senator’s commitment to principles of the right and repeatedly jabbed Trump from afar. The same headliners were to appear at an evening rally in eastern Iowa. At his Sioux Center event, Trump called Beck a “loser” and “sad sack.” Beck was one of nearly two dozen conservative thinkers who penned anti-Trump essays for National Review magazine — a hit Trump referred to repeatedly at the rally. Cruz, running close with Trump in Iowa polls, was almost entirely focused on the billionaire in his Ankeny event, as he professed core conservative values and drew a sharp contrast with Trump on issue after issue, without using his name. With obvious exaggeration, he charged that one Republican candidate, “for over 60 years of his life,” supported so-called partial-birth abortion and a “Bernie Sanders-style socialized medicine for all.” Trump is 69 and unlikely to have had positions on abortion and health care as a child. He blasted Trump’s past reluctance to strip federal money from Planned Parenthood and cast the billionaire’s plan to deport more than 11 million people who are in country illegally as “amnesty” because he would then let many of them return. But Cruz shrugged off Trump’s shooting comment when asked. “I will let Donald speak for himself. I can say I have no intention of shooting anybody in this campaign,” he told reporters, adding that he would keep his criticism focused on issues. “I don’t intend to go into the gutter,” Cruz said. Elsewhere in Iowa, Rubio stressed that he represents the next generation of conservative leadership as he started the dash to the caucuses at Iowa State University in Ames. “Complaining and being frustrated alone will not be enough,” Rubio said. “It has to be someone who tells you exactly what they are going to do as president.” Rubio recently stepped up his Iowa campaign appearances in hopes of breaking Cruz and Trump’s hold on the state in an effort to put himself in a stronger position leading into New Hampshire’s Feb. 9 primary. The Des Moines Register endorsed him Saturday as its choice in the Republican race, backing Hillary Clinton in the Democratic contest. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
7 things to watch in monthlong sprint to Iowa’s caucuses
The 2016 presidential election has defied all expectations so far. An enormous field of GOP candidates, still a dozen strong with a month to go before the leadoff Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1. The billionaire outsider who has tapped into the anger and fears of a nervous nation. A son and brother of presidents who is struggling to connect with voters despite his tremendous financial advantage. In less than a month, voters will begin having their say in what could turn out to be a bitter, monthslong fight for the Republican nomination. On the Democratic side, front-runner Hillary Clinton is banking on neatly locking up the nomination as her GOP rivals tear each other down. Some things to watch for in the four-week sprint to the Iowa caucuses: DONALD TRUMP’S CHECKBOOK To date, wealthy businessman Donald Trump has run a frugal campaign, skipping expensive television advertising as his Republican rivals and their affiliated super political action committees spend tens of millions of dollars on airtime. Trump has promised that that’s about to change, announcing plans last week to spend $2 million a week on the air in three early voting states. Will Trump follow through on that promise? Television ad prices are only increasing as the voting draws closer, and Trump has yet to reserve any airtime. TED CRUZ’S CLERGY Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is building a large organization of support in Iowa, amassing county leaders across the state and tapping a member of the clergy in each of the 99 counties. The son of a preacher, Cruz aims to take a well-worn path to victory in Iowa: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2008 and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum in 2012 generated similar support among the state’s evangelical voters, and each won the caucuses. The question is whether that network of religious conservatives will coalesce behind Cruz this time or splinter. Cruz has made strides, picking up the endorsements of Iowa evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats and Focus on the Family founder James Dobson. ESTABLISHMENT CHOICES Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who entered the race in June as the front-runner, jokes that his father, former President George H.W. Bush, has taken to throwing shoes at his television set in response to Trump. But as the caucuses near, the laugh lines have given to persistent frustration among party elders and its professional class that Trump remains a viable candidate. Several have said an effort must be mounted to take down Trump, but a coordinated campaign of negative ads has so far failed to materialize. That’s because in part to concerns that it could backfire and further motivate Trump’s supporters, but also because several candidates vying to be the establishment choice are still in the race. Will there be an attempt to undermine Trump? Will Bush — or Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Gov. John Kasich or New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — emerge as the clear alternative to Trump before Trump or Cruz collects too many delegates to matter? DEPARTURE LOUNGE Two low-polling Republicans quit in December: South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and former New York Gov. George Pataki. While all the remaining candidates insist they’re not going anywhere, pressure could grow on other candidates to bow out and narrow the field. Among those feeling the heat: Santorum, who has failed to produce the kind of excitement that propelled him to that Iowa victory four years ago. If he and others at the bottom dropped out and endorsed the same candidate, it could give rise to the Trump alternative who some are desperately seeking. CLINTON’S TEST A third-place finish in 2008 in Iowa completely disrupted Clinton’s strategy to win the Democratic nomination, and she never could catch then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. This time, Clinton has poured significant resources and staff into the state. Polls show her with an edge over her chief rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent. If Clinton wins Iowa, a loss in New Hampshire to Sanders would be easier to contain. Back-to-back losses in Iowa and New Hampshire would generate fresh worries among Democrats about their front-runner. JANUARY SURPRISES The attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, shifted voters’ focus to national security issues. That was to the detriment of less-experienced and less-hawkish candidates, including retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson on the GOP side and Sanders. Another attack, especially on American soil, could further diminish candidates without experience in office or those uncomfortable with a campaign focus on foreign policy. FINAL DEBATES The Republicans have two more debates — Jan. 14 in South Carolina and Jan. 28 in Iowa — before the Feb. 1 caucuses. Democrats will debate Jan. 17, also in South Carolina. The GOP debates in 2015 broke viewership records, and the next two probably may provide make-or-break moments as undecided voters begin making up their minds. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Leading Iowa evangelical endorses Ted Cruz for president
A prominent Iowa evangelical leader has endorsed Ted Cruz for president, a coup for the Texas senator, who has heavily courted churches and pastors in an effort to win the state’s leadoff Republican caucuses. Bob Vander Plaats announced his endorsement Thursday in Des Moines, calling Cruz a “serious leader for serious times.” Vander Plaats stressed that his was a personal endorsement, not one on behalf of the Family Leader, the influential Christian conservative group he leads. The group’s board has decided not to back a 2016 candidate formally, though several others affiliated with the organization joined Vander Plaats in endorsing Cruz. Vander Plaats said Cruz had built a strong Iowa organization and said he would work to help unite conservatives behind his candidacy. “When we make an endorsement, our goal is to make that endorsement stick,” he said. “We will do whatever it takes to help him be successful to go up against Hillary Clinton.” His presumption is that Clinton would win the Democratic nomination. Christian conservative voters traditionally wield significant influence in the Iowa caucuses because they tend to be organized and motivated to participate. Vander Plaats had been courted by many Republican candidates for that reason. The Feb. 1 caucuses offer a candidate momentum, though they have not always been a strong predictor of the eventual nominee. Vander Plaats supported former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum in 2012 and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2008. Both won the caucuses, but neither won the nomination. Recent polls suggest Iowa support has grown for Cruz, who has built a deep organization with endorsements from state and local officials and support in all 99 counties. He’s also seeking backing from at least one pastor in every county and has been endorsed by Rep. Steve King, a vigorous voice against illegal immigration who represents western Iowa, and conservative radio host Steve Deace. While Cruz has been on the rise in Iowa, Donald Trump remains a top contender and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio have significant backing. Rubio, who has been running an increasingly aggressive campaign against Cruz, was in Iowa on Thursday. While Cruz has spent more time in Iowa and has more evangelical support, Rubio has recently stepped up his visits to the state and recently held several meetings with pastors. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
