Rubio slams opponents in South Carolina

The brothers Bush are officially hitting the trail together. On the Democratic side, the party’s long-preferred presidential contender – an experienced politician endorsed by many (if not most) top officials – lost to an independent senator who only recently signed up as a party member. Overall, 67 percent of Republican voters say they have a favorable view of Trump, while 62 percent view Rubio in the same way and 61 percent do Cruz. Weaver says he’s eager to watch the “tarantula-scorpion battle” between the two.

When he returns home to finish his second term as governor, Christie will face a slew of unsolved problems and rock-bottom approval ratings from residents who, polls show, feel he neglected New Jersey to pursue his national ambitions.

Even after his 2 percent showing in New Hampshire, the retired Maryland neurosurgeon is hanging in, having invested as much time in SC as any candidate.

While speaking at the Carolina Values Summit hosted by The Reconciled Church Movement at Winthrop University in South Carolina Thursday night, Cruz began by telling the crowd that there are “three fundamental values” that were at the “heart of the gathering” – life, marriage and religious liberty.

“I believe Senator Sanders’ disparaging comments towards the president are misplaced, misguided, and do not give credit where credit is due”, the New York Democrat said. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who is fifth in SC poling with over seven percent support, also attended the event and spoke about a number of issues. But he says fundraising has been strong since Tuesday night.

It’s a new day in the race for the White House, with candidates in both parties facing fresh challenges as well as familiar questions.

Hillary Clinton stepped up her hammering of rival Bernie Sanders for what she said are his false claims on Obama’s legacy. At the same time, he’s burned that money to no effect.

After many months of suspense, the outcome was apparent right away: Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders were the big winners.

Still, for those of us who dismissed Sanders as a summer fling – that might have been me – it’s now the dead of winter, Clinton may be shaking up her campaign, and by March 15, there will have been something like 30 more states in play.

DETROW: In Hilton Head this morning, Bush argued he’d make the best commander-in-chief of all the candidates left in the race. Trump on Tuesday became the 10th Republican candidate since 1980 to win at least 20 percent of the vote in both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.

A group of Latino celebrities is condemning Donald Trump and his Republican presidential rivals, saying the bombastic billionaire speaks for the GOP’s anti-immigrant, anti-Latino agenda.

It will be the ninth televised debate for Republican candidates seeking to represent the party in the November presidential election amid a thinning field that once had more than a dozen candidates.

Sanders won the Democratic race by almost 60,000 votes – 60% to Clinton’s 38%.

The list of Latino celebrities includes actress America Ferrera, comedian George Lopez and legendary musician Carlos Santana.

Perhaps more noteworthy was civil rights hero John Lewis, a Georgia congressman, dismissing Sanders’ work in the civil rights movement as a college student in the 1960s.

“I served on the defense committee for 18 years”, Kasich said. Clinton testily said he’d never find an example of her making decisions to benefit her donors. He also said he was arrested for protesting segregation. Bill Clinton will be in Georgia on Saturday and Sanders, too, will hold a rally in Atlanta next week. “It wasn’t the worst thing in the world”.

Kasich had a strong performance in Sharon, Peterboroug and Hancock, where he beat Trump by 7, 12, and 5 votes, respectively. Her Sunday visit to Flint, a majority-black city in MI whose water supply has poisoned residents, was aimed in part at African Americans in SC.

“I can’t see voting for someone just because she’s a woman”. “My kids knew that it didn’t go the way I wanted it to go”.

The contest here, coming on the heels of Cruz and Trump’s capturing the first two states, could help determine which of those two animating forces has more currency in the party. Hillary Clinton is the overwhelming establishment choice.