MARCO RUBIO SEEKS RE-ELECTION, IS SLATED TO WIN (CUBANS RUN MIAMI)

MARCO RUBIO SEEKS RE-ELECTION, HE'LL WIN BECAUSE CUBANS RUN MIAMI

Sources:  Fox News,  NY Times, YouTube

Marco Rubio Announces His US Senate Re-election Bid!

Despite losing his home state of FLORIDA to DONALD J TRUMP during the GOP primaries several months ago, Miami native & golden boy MARCO RUBIO is slated to hold on to his US Senate seat, mainly due to his nationality.

RUBIO is a Cuban-American and everyone knows CUBANS run Miami.

******* Marco Rubio to Seek Re-election to Senate

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida said Wednesday that he has decided to seek re-election to the Senate after months of insisting he would not run again, a reversal that will reshape one of the most competitive races in the country.

Mr. Rubio, 45, who is said to be reluctant to give up the high profile that a Senate seat offers, will enter the race with the formidable advantages of incumbency, national name recognition and strong ties to the Republican Party’s donor base.

But he also faces numerous hurdles. He is coming off a bruising race for president that ended with an embarrassing loss to Donald J. Trump in his home state on March 15 — one that focused in no small part on his frequent absence from the Senate and from his duties in Florida as he campaigned.

He also made no secret of his distaste for Washington and the often glacial pace of business on Capitol Hill, words he is certain to see turned against him in attack ads from Democrats who had been optimistic about their chances at taking back Mr. Rubio’s seat before he entered the race.

In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Mr. Rubio acknowledged his about-face and tried to explain himself in part by saying, “I changed my mind.”

“I think it’s clearly outlined that I’m frustrated by what’s happening here in the Senate — most Americans are,” he added.

Then, in a dig at the presumptive nominees of both political parties, Mr. Rubio said he ultimately believed that no matter who is elected president, the Senate has the vital role “of being able to act as a check and balance on bad ideas from the president.”

The senator has told colleagues and advisers that he would like to run for president again, either in 2020 or 2024. But he increasingly came to think that doing so from the private sector would be difficult.

His decision is not without considerable risk to his political future, despite his status as a nationally known incumbent who will have the full backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

According to people who have spoken with Mr. Rubio in recent days, the senator is especially concerned about the effect that Mr. Trump’s candidacy could have on his chances of winning. A poor performance in the November general election by Mr. Trump against Hillary Clinton in Florida, with its large Hispanic population, could hurt Mr. Rubio.

Mr. Rubio’s move was truly last-minute. Florida’s deadline to file as a candidate is Friday.

TRUMP IS 2016 GOP NOMINEE: KASICH & CRUZ CONCEDE (I TOLD YOU SO)

TRUMP IS 2016 GOP NOMINEE: KASICH & CRUZ CONCEDE (I TOLD YOU SO)

WHO IS LAUGHING NOW??

Sources:  CNN,  WSJ, BBC, Youtube

In August of 2015 (not May) I uploaded my first video in support of Donald J Trump's presidential candidacy.

A year ago the media and key democrats mocked Trump's bid for US President.

A year ago the media and key democrats also mocked me when I predicted Trump would be the 2016 GOP nominee.

Who is laughing now?

I told you so!

****** GOP wakes up to Trump victory -- and plenty of questions

A once unthinkable idea is now the Republican Party's new political reality: Donald Trump is its presumptive presidential nominee. 

Ted Cruz's sudden exit from the 2016 race Tuesday night following a devastating loss in Indiana all but brought to a halt the hard-fough battle for the GOP nomination, virtually ensuring Trump will garner the 1,237 delegates needed before the Republican convention this summer. 

Now, a party fractured by more than a year of campaigning, personal insults and threats of third-party runs has to figure out how to move forward.

From congressional leaders to top donors to veteran strategists, the GOP establishment has been deeply skeptical of Trump's candidacy and motives. As Trump began to amass delegates and gain momentum, his feud with his GOP rivals grew increasingly acrimonious and the "Never Trump" campaign -- a rare inter-party movement aimed at stopping its own front-runner -- failed. 

Here are five questions facing Republicans as they absorb Trump's victory:

Can #NeverTrump Republicans back Trump?

Moments after Trump was projected the winner in Indiana, the chairman of the Republican National Committee sent out a telling message. 

".@realDonaldTrump will be presumptive @GOP nominee, we all need to unite and focus on defeating @HillaryClinton," Reince Priebus tweeted, using the hashtage "#NeverClinton."

But bringing the party together will be easier said than done.

Even after Trump had solidified his position as the party's clear front-runner, prominent Republicans openly revolted against the billionaire, vowing to never endorse his candidacy. Top Republicans have said they will sit out of the Republican convention if Trump is the party's nominee, and some major GOP donors are expected to keep their wallets shut if Trump is at the top of the party's ticket.

Our Principles PAC, an anti-Trump super PAC, said Tuesday that its efforts will continue until a candidate has won the support of a majority of delegates in Cleveland. 

Tim Miller, a former spokesman for Jeb Bush's campaign who has been working on the "Never Trump" campaign, tweeted Tuesday night: "Never ever ever Trump. Simple as that."

One looming question is whether Cruz will ultimately endorse Trump. Just hours before bowing out of the race, the senator lashed out at Trump, calling him a "pathological liar" and "narcissist."

Trump on Tuesday had rare complimentary words about his rival Tuesday night, as he repeated in his victory speech that he was surprised to see Cruz drop out of the race. He also called on the party to come together.

"What Ted did is really a brave thing to do. And a great thing to do because we want to bring unity to the Republican Party," Trump said. "We have to bring unity. It's so much easier if we have it." 

Has Trump permanently damaged the party's relationship with minority voters?

From Day 1, Trump stirred up controversy with the Hispanic community. 

As he launched his White House bid last summer in the lobby of Manhattan's Trump Tower, the first-time political candidate vented about the importance of securing U.S. borders. To prove his point, he lamented the kinds of Mexican people who were entering the country. 

"They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists," Trump said -- explosive comments that he stood by in the weeks and months to come.

Those remarks were troubling for Republican leaders, whose party has urgently worked to broaden its base and court minority voters, including Hispanics, in recent years. The concerns only intensified as Trump showed surprising endurance in the 2016 race and started to train his fire on other ethnic groups, such as Muslim-Americans.

In a victory speech Tuesday night at the same midtown skyscraper, Trump said that he would work to win over minorities. 

"We're going to have unbelievable great relationships with the Hispanics. The Hispanics have been so incredible to me. They want jobs," Trump said. "The African-Americans want jobs."

But he will have to show how he can do this before GOP insiders believe it.

And what about women?

Another huge constituency that Republicans worry about with Trump at the top of the ticket: Women. 

Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump has been repeatedly criticized for his controversial statements about women, including public figures like Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly and former presidential candidate Carly Fiorina. 

There's no escaping the role gender will play in a general election between Trump and Hillary Clinton, who is vying to become the country's first female president. Trump has ratcheted up his attacks against Clinton by accusing her of playing the "woman card" for political expediency, saying last week that the former secretary of state would be polling terribly if she were not a woman.

Frankly, if Hillary Clinton were a man, I don't think she would get 5% of the vote. And the beautiful thing is, women don't like her," Trump said. 

Trump could try to use members of his family to boost his credentials with female voters as he gears up for the general election. On the campaign trail, his wife, Melania, and daughter, Ivanka, have defended Trump's record with women.

exuded nothing but confidence on Tuesday night as he spoke about winning women voters. 

"I won with women," he said. "I love winning with women."

Chaos in Cleveland?

Trump likes to boast about the thousands of supporters who turn up at his campaign rallies. 

But his events also frequently attract other impassioned voters: protesters. 

With his penchant for inflammatory comments and tough rhetoric about immigrants, Trump has emerged one of the most polarizing presidential candidates in recent history.

What began earlier on in the campaign as protesters yelling at the GOP front-runner escalated in recent months to violent clashes between Trump supporters and detractors, as well as riots where protesters have collided with police. Last week, hundreds of protesters gathered outside a Trump speech in California, forcing the candidate and his entourage to exit their motorcade and walk to a back entrance to gain access to the event. 

Republican leaders fear that some of the recent violence and protests will play out at the Republican National Convention, to be held in Cleveland, in July. 

As a part of its efforts to prepare for the convention, Cleveland is looking to buy riot gear, according to one local report. 

Who will Trump choose as his VP?

Trump has one critical decision to make ahead of Cleveland: choosing his running mate. 

His campaign is likely to face pressure from party leaders to choose someone who can broaden the candidate's appeal -- perhaps a woman or a person of color -- as he gets ready to go up against Clinton. 

Senior Trump officials said Tuesday that an official search for a running mate has not yet begun. But the GOP-frontrunner has previously said he wants to pick a political insider as his partner, particularly someone who understands the ins and outs of Congress. 

"I do want somebody that's political, because I want to get lots of great legislation we all want passed," Trump saidin February.

TRUMP TAKES FLORIDA & ILLINOIS, TRUMP IS IT (DELEGATE COUNTDOWN)

TRUMP TAKES FLORIDA & ILLINOIS, TRUMP IS IT:

KASICH WINS OHIO.

TRUMP WILL BE THE GOP NOMINEE NOT KASICH.

Sources: Chicago Tribune, Fox News, Youtube

***** Trump wins Florida, Illinois, North Carolina; Kasich takes Ohio

Donald Trump won a decisive victory in Florida's primary Tuesday night, forcing home-state Sen. Marco Rubio to abandon the race for the Republican presidential nomination. But another big prize — Ohio — went to its governor, John Kasich.

Florida's outcome strengthened Trump's chances to secure the Republican presidential nomination. The third contender, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, is hoping to pick up enough delegates to force a contested national GOP convention in July.

"Do not give in to the fear," Rubio said in a not-so-subtle reference to Trump. "Do not give in to the frustration."

Florida and Ohio award the most delegates in voting Tuesday; Missouri, Illinois and North Carolina also weigh in.

Kasich had to win Ohio to keep his struggling campaign alive, but even so, he has virtually no path to the nomination.

"I want you to know the campaign goes on," Kasich said at his victory rally. He sought to maintain his positive persona. "I will not take the low road to the highest office of the land."

Trump's plainspoken — while controversial — appeals have resonated across the country, leaving other candidates reeling for a strategy to topple the unconventional front-runner.

"He will fix everything that is wrong with the economy and immigration," said Alex Perri, a 59-year-old retired firefighter from Margate, Florida, who was campaigning for Trump in the parking lot of an Oakland Park voting place.

Trump's promise to impose tariffs on goods from countries that don't "play fair" has been particularly resonant with voters across the industrial Midwest.

Even as Trump racks up more wins, questions have intensified about whether he is doing enough to stem violence at his raucous rallies.

Trump said Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America" that his record-setting crowds have had "very, very little difficultly."

The New York real estate mogul backed away from a suggestion that he might cover legal costs for a supporter who punched a protester in the face during a rally last week in North Carolina. He has blamed a larger recent clash in Chicago on Democratic protesters.

His Republican rivals and other GOP leaders insist Trump deserves some responsibility, while both Rubio and Kasich in recent days have refused to say whether they would support a Trump nomination.

In a clear reference to Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan, the GOP's top elected leader, declared that all candidates have an obligation to do what they can to provide an atmosphere of harmony at campaign events and not incite violence.

For some voters, Trump's tone has been a turn-off.

Tom and Cathy Lewis cast their votes Tuesday for Kasich, who lives in their hometown of Westerville, Ohio. Beyond feeling a hometown connection to the Ohio governor, the couple said they were looking for a candidate with integrity and someone they can trust.

"We need to have a man who will speak against things that are wrong," Cathy Lewis said.

In recent weeks, Republicans who dislike Trump have banded to wage multimillion-dollar advertising campaigns against him. One political ad highlights Trump'sstatements that appear to encourage violence.

Trump still leads the race for delegates, with 568. Ted Cruz has 370 delegates, Kasich has 129 and Rubio left the race with 163.

A tally by The Associated Press shows Kasich would have to win 91 percent of the remaining delegates to clinch the nomination before the summer convention

It takes 1,237 delegates to win the Republican nomination for president.