Marco Rubio's disappointing night all but ends his presidential hopes
Marco Rubio finished last in both Mississippi and Michigan, raising serious questions about his presidential campaign.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Another Tuesday, another disappointing night for Marco Rubio.
The senator from Florida, who has been the favorite of the Republican establishment during the nomination process, finished last in both the Mississippi and Michigan primaries, all but ending his presidential hopes. Mr Rubio was projected to finish third in Idaho, but the race had not been called at the time of publication.
Mr Rubio was not projected to win in polls released before the primaries, but his campaign was hoping to keep pace with Ted Cruz on Tuesday, ahead of the Florida primary on March 15. Not only was Mr Rubio unable to keep up with Mr Cruz, he finished behind Ohio Governor John Kasich in both Mississippi and Michigan.
At one point in the Mississippi primary on Tuesday, Mr Rubio was behind Ben Carson, who dropped out of the race last week. Mr Rubio eventually surpassed Mr Carson.
Last week, Mr Rubio had a poor showing on Super Tuesday, winning just one state while Donald Trump won seven and Mr Cruz won three. Mr Rubio did win Puerto Rico over the weekend, but any momentum gained was lost on Tuesday.
Now, Mr Rubio is limping into next Tuesday's primary in his home state of Florida, which has become an absolute must-win state. Multiple polls have Mr Trump ahead of Mr Rubio in Florida.
Even a win in Florida for Mr Rubio may be too little too late. Mr Trump has been collecting wins and delegates like it's a hobby, and Mr Cruz already won Texas.
It remains to be seen how much longer Mr Rubio can hang on, though he promised to stay in the race at least until Florida.
Follow @PaytonGuion on Twitter.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments