REPORT: Pro-Rubio alliance trying to mobilize in Iowa to take out Ted Cruz

Looks like some angry Huckabee and Santorum fans are trying to mobilize behind Rubio in Iowa to take out Ted Cruz:

NATIONAL REVIEW – To a concerned and angry bunch of Iowa Republicans, their mission heading into next month’s caucuses is as simple as ABC: Anybody But Cruz.

As the Texas senator solidifies his front-runner status with just over a month to go before the February 1 caucuses, a loose network of social-conservative activists has undertaken a quiet effort to defeat him by any means necessary — even if that means rallying together behind a more electable rival to their own preferred candidates.

Many supporters of Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum, the last two winners of Iowa’s Republican presidential contests, are grappling with a pair of grim realities as the 2016 caucuses approach. Not only have their candidates been stuck in the low single digits for months in Iowa, but they also view Cruz, the new front-runner, as a phony opportunist who has pandered to Evangelicals for political gain, particularly in Iowa. And they fear that if Cruz notches a win in the Hawkeye State — especially if he does so by a wide margin, which many Republicans now view as a distinct possibility — he will emerge as the overwhelming favorite to capture the nomination.

These assumptions have led to a pair of common conclusions: First, that preventing Cruz from winning Iowa is more important than promoting their own preferred candidates. And second, that if the only way to accomplish that is by throwing their support to another candidate, it should be Marco Rubio.

“This is real. There exists this feeling that Senator Cruz is only the most recent Christian conservative presidential candidate, and that the two individuals who preceded him in the 2008 and 2012 caucuses have not been given the respect that they deserve as voices in the Christian conservative movement,” says Jamie Johnson, a former member of the Iowa GOP state central committee who supported Santorum in 2012 and has not thrown his weight behind a candidate after supporting former Texas governor Rick Perry earlier this cycle.

“It is absolutely clear to me that many Huckabee and Santorum supporters are going to swing toward Marco Rubio, because he is a Christian conservative who they feel embodies more of the character traits that Huckabee and Santorum embody,” Johnson says. “That’s what I’m hearing from both camps.”

KEEP READING…

Texas Tribune has a similar article, pointing out that it’s the Huckabee super PAC that’s behind the anti-Cruz/pro-Rubio alliance:

TEXAS TRIBUNE – Allies of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee are plotting a multi-pronged offensive against Ted Cruz as the Republican presidential race enters the final month before the Iowa caucuses.

A pro-Huckabee super PAC is among the central players in the anti-Cruz push, which is already taking hold in mailboxes and on the radio across the Hawkeye State. The group, known as Pursuing America’s Greatness, is not ruling out TV advertising as it seeks to undercut Cruz’s claim of being the purest conservative in the GOP field.

“All options are on the table from our perspective,” said Blain Rethmeier, a spokesman for the group. “We believe Sen. Cruz is a fraud, and we hope to make that apparent to the conservatives taking part in the process in Iowa.”

Neither Huckabee nor Santorum have been doing well in the polls this year, while Cruz has a fairly significant lead in Iowa based on several polls this month.

And if Cruz’s ground game is as good as political pundits say it is, then I’m not sure this pro-Rubio alliance will have that much of an effect.


Comment Policy: Please read our comment policy before making a comment. In short, please be respectful of others and do not engage in personal attacks. Otherwise we will revoke your comment privileges.