Sen. Ted Cruz’s bid to become the chief alternative to Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump gained steam Saturday, as he secured commanding victories in the Kansas and Maine caucuses while Sen. Marco Rubio withered with a string of third-place finishes.
At the same time, Trump was projected by the Associated Press to win the Louisiana primary, although Cruz was closing the gap. Trump was also leading in the Kentucky caucuses late Saturday, underscoring the extent to which the Republican nomination race has become a contest between him and Cruz.
Taken together, the results marked a devastating rebuke of the Republican establishment, which has settled on Rubio as its standard-bearer. But he not only failed to win any states Saturday, but he also finished in third place in every state that voted Saturday except Maine, where he was projected to finish fourth behind Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
Trump called on Rubio to drop out of the race Saturday during a speech in West Palm Beach, where he mocked the senator’s recent losses.
“Marco Rubio had a very, very bad night and personally I’d call for him to drop out of the race,” Trump said. “I think it’s probably time.”
“As a party we should come together and stop this foolishness,” he added later.
Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders defeated former secretary of state Hillary Clinton in the Kansas and Nebraska caucuses. But Clinton’s forceful projected win in delegate-rich Louisiana keeps her vast delegate lead for the Democratic party’s nomination intact.