Cruz targets Rubio ahead of Iowa caucuses

Both candidates hammered on familiar points, with Trump again questioning Cruz’s citizenship and financial records.

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall). Republican presidential candidates (L-R) New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. But he was turned off by Cruz at the Thursday debate when the moderators and the senator’s rivals raised questions about his inconsistent stance on immigration.

On the Republican side, Donald Trump has managed to surge past Ted Cruz, receiving support from 28 percent of likely caucus-goers, compared to 23 percent for the senator from Texas.

“I believe he’s a very patriotic man. I believe that he cares about the country, and I think it scares him to death to see where we’re headed, and it does me, too”.

“I can’t trust what he says”, Millius siad.

It was clear that Millius, who works for a material handling wholesaler, was also swayed by recent accusations of flip-flopping against Cruz.

Rubio pitched himself as the pragmatic choice for Republicans who want to win the November election.

Voters under 45 gave Sanders a big edge, while Clinton won among older voters.

Florida senator Marco Rubio, who has emerged as the preferred candidate of the party’s establishment, came third in the poll with 15 per cent, an increase of three points from early January.

In explaining his pitch to voters, Cruz told Tapper he would follow through on his conservative campaign pledges, unlike his Republican opponents. Voters often change their minds, even after they’ve showed up to participate in a caucus. “That was one of those moments for me when I knew Trump was going to win this thing”.

Eighty percent of the Democrats say it is time for a woman president, versus 11 percent who say it isn’t. Although Palin became a bit of a laughingstock by the end of the 2008 campaign, a lot of conservative purists refused to laugh at her. Rather, they laughed with her – and many still do.

The central mystery about Trump’s campaign in Iowa has been whether he can convert voter enthusiasm for him into turnout at the caucuses. The Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics Iowa Poll is usually the last major survey before the Iowa caucuses, is closely watched due to its track record of accuracy.

One ad said of Rubio: “Tax hikes. And it is painfully obvious at this point that Ted Cruz can’t be trusted”.

A snowfall forecast to start Monday night appeared more likely to hinder the hopefuls in their rush out of Iowa – and to New Hampshire, with its February 9 primary – than the voters.

When Tapper pointed to Rubio’s response saying Cruz offered an amendment that would have provided a path to legal status, Cruz responded: “Yeah and his response is false”. “But I didn’t like his stance on ethanol”, Rubly said, pointing to one of Cruz’s biggest liabilities in this state. “I’d like to win Iowa”. More Democrats are excited about a possible Clinton candidacy and her supporters see no room for waffling, convinced she is the candidate to support.

“I wouldn’t be here talking to you about it”, she said.

For example, several voters CNN spoke to here were aware that Cruz had recently skipped a vote in the Senate on the “Audit the Fed” bill.

Rubio’s challenge of course is compounded by the fact that his support is not as strong as that of either Trump or Cruz.