Republican Leaders Use More Money to Stop Donald Trump
As Ted Cruz gains some momentum in his push to make a good case for himself as a viable alternative to Donald Trump after winning Kansas and Maine to split the four-state Saturday contest, some forces in the Republicans' camp is cashing in on what could be the final bid to stop the Trump truck on its way to a GOP nomination.
"Saturday proved that Trump can be contained and even beaten," said Scott Jennings, a longtime Republican strategist. "The question is whether the field is going to allow for it moving forward. The most likely scenarios remain that Trump gets enough before Cleveland, or nobody does. The latter moved a little closer to realistic Saturday."
The Money Factor
It seems like money is going to play a huge role in some of the Republican groups' attempt of thwarting Trump's bid to presidency. The anti-Trump campaign has already started and it is centered on the states that could potentially decide the fate for the party's official standard bearer.
So far, reports have it that at least $10 million worth of TV ads were already allocated in Florida, and the numbers can still grow. Apart from this, other groups also have huge sums of money already in place to campaign against Trump, like the American Future Fund with $2 million in Florida and Illinois; the Club for Growth Action with $2 million in Illinois and $1 million in Florida; and the Our Principles PAC with $3.5 million in Illinois and Florida.
Everyone Understands that There is a lot at Stake
On the upcoming March 15 polls, Barry Bennett said, "It's the last stand. We're going to have a nominee if Donald Trump wins Ohio and Florida on the 15th." Bennett was a campaign manager for Ben Carson, who jumped ship to serve as Trump's pro bono adviser when Carson decided to drop out of the race.
This was seconded by Curt Anderson, a senior Republican strategist, who said, "If Trump wins Florida, the nomination is over."
As the big day in March 15 looms, it's looking like it's primarily a gathering of forces pro and against the forward motion of the Trump vehicle. Those on the opposing side seems like they are willing to cast aside differences and their respective interests for the meantime. This previously heterogeneous elements are coalescing, be it the party's top financiers or the conservative activists.
As Jenny Beth Martin, head of Tea Party Patriots, a group whose political arm favors Cruz over Trump, puts it, "Politics makes for strange bedfellows. That's a saying for a reason." Her group was part of the recently held Conservative Political Action Conference last week, supporting the Our Principles PAC endeavors.
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