Could South Carolina be make-or-break for Bush?

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. “I would never have handled it that way”.

Donald Trump has emerged as the front-runner for the GOP nomination by winning over roughly a third of Republicans in the early voting states and in preference polls, packing his rallies with men and women, evangelical Christians and military veterans, blue-collar workers and wealthy retirees.

U.S. presidential hopefuls are preparing for their next key test, with Republicans due to square off in SC and the Democrats in Nevada. Clinton canceled a trip to Florida on Monday to campaign in Elko and Reno and her campaign has devoted significant resources building a field operation even in the most remote reaches of the states.

During a town hall event broadcast by CNN on Wednesday, Cruz – a Harvard-trained lawyer and former solicitor general in Texas – said he “laughed out loud” when Trump threatened him with legal action over the advertisement.

Tuesday is traditionally the biggest day of the week for politics in the United States, but Saturday could be a turning point in the race for both parties’ presidential nomination contests.

The ever-present calculus of how a candidate performs against expectations may hang most heavily over Bush.

Trump is going into SC with strong numbers, but he took some risks by blaming former President George W. Bush for the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. “If we don’t get this right this time, I think my children will be the first generation not to have it better than their parents”. And the exchange allowed the billionaire to once again dominate the media as he restated a hardline position on illegal immigration popular among many conservatives.

“If he finishes significantly behind Rubio in SC, I think a lot of the people who are personally close to him, including donors, are going to say, don’t stay in until money runs out, don’t stay in just to be a spoiler”.

Cruz and Rubio supporters alike argued that lower-polling candidates – Carson, Ohio Governor John Kasich and former Florida governor Jeb Bush – ought to drop out to give either Cruz or Rubio a shot of besting Trump.

He told about 400 supporters Friday night in Greenville, not to pay attention to the polls where he trails Donald Trump or listen to analysts’ predictions.

“I’m very proud to be from SC and have Nikki Haley out for him”, Pendleton said.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the son of a pastor, evoked “the body of Christ” in his closing message while fending off allegations of “dirty tricks” in a state where most Republicans identify as evangelical Christians.

After Bill Clinton criticized Sanders’ support of being linked to empty promises, which he said was similar to claims made by the far-right’s tea party movement, the senator chimed in. If Clinton loses to Sanders Saturday, it could call into question Clinton’s ability to connect with voters in the same way Sanders has. She’d eyed Nevada, where one-fourth of the population is Hispanic, as the first in a series of contests that would highlight that strength. Candidates were also trying to stoke some badly needed momentum heading into the next phase of the campaign: March 1’s Super Tuesday.

“Guess what? There’s a caucus here in Nevada!” Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., pauses for a selfie as he greets hotel workers at Caesars Palace hotel and casino Friday, Feb. 19, 2016, in Las Vegas.

Unlike in Iowa, caucuses are not a part of the political fabric of Nevada.

Democrats and Republicans will swap locations in the coming days.