Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) scored decisive victories in the Kansas and Maine caucuses, bolstering his claim that he is the only candidate who can beat Donald Trump.
“I think what it represents is Republicans coalescing, saying it would be a disaster for Donald Trump to be our nominee and we’re going to stand behind the strongest conservatives in the race,” Sen. Cruz told reporters in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, which votes Tuesday.
Mr. Cruz called on Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio) to drop out of the race. “We’ll continue to amass delegates, but what needs to happen is the field needs to continue to narrow,” he said. “As long as the field remains divided it gives Donald an advantage.”
The results on Saturday were another set back for Mr. Rubio who finished a distant third in Kansas and Louisiana and fourth in Maine. The Florida senator made three stops across Kansas on Friday and canceled trips to Kentucky and Louisiana.
“The states that voted tonight are states that quite frankly some of my opponents just do better in, we recognized that going in,” Rubio told reporters in Puerto Rico where he hopes to score his second win on Sunday.
While Donald Trump contained Cruz’s victories by winning the Louisiana primaries and the Kentucky caucuses, the Texas senator’s wins will most surely energize the anti-Trump movement.
During his press conference, Trump called on Rubio to drop out of the presidential race saying he wants to go head-to-head with Ted Cruz. “I think Marco Rubio had a very, very bad night and personally I call for him to drop out of the race.”
“I really think so, I think it’s probably time. I don’t think he can get up and rant and rave, you got to be able to win,” he added.
“I would love to take on Ted one-on-one,” Trump said and argued that the Texas senator can’t win in states like New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and California.
Trump also addressed the anti-Trump movement saying, “As a party we should come together and stop this foolishness.”
While Cruz did not win the most the states with the most amount of delegates on Saturday, he won enough delegates to prevent Trump from opening up a huge lead.
Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton won a decisive victory in the Louisiana primaries while her challenger, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), won the Nebraska and Kansas caucuses.
Setting her sights on the general election, Clinton barely mentioned Sanders and focused on her Republican rivals.
“We have allowed our politics to be hijacked by extreme ideologues,” Clinton said.
“We all know the stakes keep getting higher, and the rhetoric we’re hearing from the other side just keeps sinking lower,” she added while referencing Thursday’s GOP debate.
“Instead of building walls, we’re going to be knocking down barriers and building ladders of opportunity and empowerment so every American can live up to his or her potential,” she said.