Big news today that Marco Rubio’s campaign has dropped a whopping $1.1 million on “South Carolina operatives and political consultants,” which, according to Bloomberg Politics, is “more than triple the amount of all his opponents combined.”
Marco Rubio just got another “big boost” in South Carolina in the form of an endorsement from Governor Nikki Haley. It’s the shot of adrenaline Rubio candidacy needed, Team Marco seems to think — and they’re going the on-the-record saying he’s set to beat expectations. Senior Rubio strategist Todd Harris was yesterday very bullish on Rubio’s prospects moving forward: “I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people on Saturday.” As Politico put it, “Todd Harris is feeling the mo.”,
Haley’s endorsement, plus the campaign’s $1.1 million investment, explains Team Marco’s high confidence and raised expectations just two days out from the South Carolina primary. It isn’t just about spinning the fact that Rubio probably still won’t have won a single state through Saturday — the campaign’s also got to convince donors that they’ve generated some kind of return on their multi million-dollar investment. (Though with that kind of cash in play, it’s no wonder Team Marco was banking on a “3-2-1” SC win less than a month ago.)
If Team Marco has any hope at perpetuating the dubious “Marco Rubio Surge Will Happen Any Day Now” narrative, Rubio has to actually win somewhere. That’s looking unlikely in South Carolina, but Rubio’s campaign is nonetheless playing up Palmetto State #Marcomentum. This isn’t the first time that Team Marco has raised expectations through the roof, only to fall flat — but they do seem very confident this time around.
Published: Feb 18, 2016