Cruz Wins Iowa

by
Steve MacDonald

https://youtu.be/aCAkw3fgZeo

There are some impressive points to this win. Sen. Cruz ran against the Iowa ethanol lobby and won. Despite being the conservative Sarah Palin endorsed Donald Trump, but that failed to push Trump over the top. Hot Air reminds us that pastor Mike the Huckster Huckabee ran all over the state calling Cruz a phony Christian. Maybe the voters in Iowa noticed how Huckabee was more the phony Republican?(Now that Huckabee has officially left the Primary building who will his handful of supporters in New Hampshire pick before next Tuesday, not that it will matter?)

Rick Santorum, the other social conservative has-been, and an Iowa Caucus winner alum, was most probably poking the same bear as Huckabee, whether at the urging of the political class (which I think was Huckabee’s gig) or not. Santorum has not dropped out, yet, but should. He is wasting valuable campaign air on a vanity crusade that sells like an infomercial running at 3 am; if anyone is calling it is because they don’t want to get off the couch or can’t.

Mr. Trump, who will likely do better in New Hampshire, almost came in third. That is interesting. The name-calling did not have the desired effect on Iowans.

Sadly, Rand Paul did not rise above his polling station. The Rand Paul folks will blame a list of someone’s or something’s and a fair share of conspiracies for that failure. Caucuses are supposed to be their thing and I can’t recall how many people have told me stories about how Ron was polling low Iowa but did much better after the actual vote. Rand is not Ron and Ron Paul supporters are the larger problem there. Too many who stood with Ron are standing with Cruz and Trump and not Rand. That is irksome but what is more irksome is that Rand Paul’s polling was accurate.

Dr. Paul was polling from 2-5% in Iowa and stayed there. He is polling at 2-5% in the Free State where porcupines roam. He should do better here but finishing fifth again will not do him any favors. And, if the polling in New Hampshire is even close fifth appears unlikely. For the record, I would love to see him do better.

Marco Rubio’s win in Iowa, that is how the political class is spinning it, is coming in a very strong third and almost bumping Trump for second. And it is a win. Of all the candidates in the race Rubio stands to gain the most in New Hampshire and elsewhere from his showing in Iowa. With Christie, Kasich, and even Bush battling for the invertebrate vote Rico Suave has an opportunity to rally the RINO rubbish along with his more-rightish base to a potential second place finish in the Granite State.

Rubio is also polling well enough in NV, SC, and the early polling Super Tuesday states to keep this a three-man race in to March.

March 1st should be the end of the line for the majority of the candidates, even those with money. Rubio’s biggest problem, however, as well as Trumps, is that phone surveys are great and fly-in populist political comedy is fun, but only Ted Cruz has an established ground game…everywhere.

Ground games win elections.

 

 

Author

  • Steve MacDonald

    Steve is a long-time New Hampshire resident, blogger, and a member of the Board of directors of The 603 Alliance. He is the owner of Grok Media LLC and the Managing Editor of GraniteGrok.com, a former board member of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, and a past contributor to the Franklin Center for Public Policy.

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