Ahead of Iowa caucuses, Rubio to air 30-minute TV specials

Republicans Donald Trump and Ted Cruz on Sunday tried to temper expectations on how they will do in the first US presidential nominating contest in Iowa on Monday, reflecting unease about the unpredictability of the race in the state.

While the Democratic presidential candidate was about an hour late for his campaign event at Grand River Center, an enthusiastic crowd of 1,300 people greeted him when he arrived. Bernie Sanders making their last pitches to voters. Both Democrats and Republicans will try to convince each other in the room to vote for a particular candidate, and on the Demcoratic side, supporters of candidates without much support (Martin O’Malley) will have to align with a candidate that’s more viable.

Not to be left out, Trump called Cruz an “anchor baby”, a new twist on his persistent claims that Cruz, who was born in Canada to a US citizen, may not be eligible to hold the presidency.

The final Des Moines Register Iowa Poll took place on January 26 through 29 and is comprised of about 600 Republicans and 600 Democrats who are likely Iowa Caucus participants.

Trump said “I don’t have to win” in Iowa, before adding that he believes he has “a good chance” of victory.

“The stakes are too high, the costs are too dear, and I am not and will not be afraid to keep fighting for common-sense reforms and along with you, achieve those on behalf of all who have been lost because of this senseless gun violence in this country”, she said in June.

His enthusiasm isn’t singular in Iowa’s capital city, but the question is whether it will translate into tangible electoral success come Monday night’s caucuses.

Democrat Bernie Sanders says he’s ready to stun the political world if his supporters turn out for Monday’s presidential caucuses in Iowa. One ad said darkly of Mr Rubio: “Tax hikes”. Marco Rubio “the Republican Barack Obama”. Candidates from Cruz to Bush would be under tremendous pressure to drop out, leaving Rubio and a diminished Trump to slog it out, with the outcome never in doubt. “From my experience, when people start attacking you it’s because you’re doing something right”.

The Midwestern state offers only a small contingent of the delegates who will determine the nominees at each party’s national convention in July. Campaigns worked aggressively to set those expectations in their favor (meaning, lower them) for Iowa, next-up New Hampshire and beyond. “He has a long, consistent history of fighting for the middle class. My generation, we’re working two or three jobs at very low wages, and we just need a break”.

Meanwhile, Saturday evening’s poll found Mr Trump leading Senator Ted Cruz 28% to 23% among likely GOP caucus-goers.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump lead narrowly just two days before the Iowa caucuses in the final Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll, considered the “gold standard” of Iowa polling.

The margin of error for results on both sides is 4 percentage points.

The mailer gave the recipient, along with their neighbors, poor grades based on their individual voting history. “She is not above the law”, said Rubio.

But the reason throngs of people come to see Sanders is for the next big movement he promises: Sanders’ political revolution against the billionaire class. Hence, the segue: “We can be proud as a nation that over the last few decades, we have made some pretty significant progress”, he said in Dubuque on Friday.

Cruz brushed off the fuss.

“He’s always looking to take whatever position it takes to win votes or raise money, and we’re not going to beat Hillary Clinton with someone that will say or do anything to get elected”, Rubio said.

Bauer reported from Ames, Iowa.