While Marco Rubio was unable to name a single state where he could win as recently as Sunday, it’s no secret that his campaign has — like much of the media — long seen tonight’s Nevada caucuses as a critical “firewall” for his candidacy. Rubio’s 3-2-1 plan collapsed into 3-5-¯\_(ツ)_/¯ , but there’s been a persistent hope that he could eventually right the ship in Nevada because of his deep personal ties to the state.
Rubio admitted his high hopes for Nevada over the weekend, and his campaign’s been as bullish as ever on his Silver State prospects over the last week, continuing to talk up the “Marcomentum” that’s so far delivered nothing but third, fifth, and second-place finishes.
Leaving Las Vegas, Rubio still hasn’t won — anywhere.
If another key in-state endorsement — this time, Senator Dean Heller — paired with a reportedly robust ground-game was yet again insufficient to deliver Rubio a win, it’s unclear what actually can bring him a victory moving forward.
And leading into Super Tuesday, Rubio’s backward momentum — fueled by his glaring lack of wins — doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon, if Donald Trump-dominated Super Tuesday-state polling is to be believed.
But yeah, OK. Yet another win for Marco Rubio.
More on the anatomy of Team Marco’s firewall flame-out:
Associated Press: Nevada US Sen. Dean Heller endorses Rubio after Bush exit
National Review: Nevada Is Rubio’s Firewall, but Cruz Could Tear It Down
New York Times: Marco Rubio Bets on Nevada, a State That Shaped His Childhood
The Daily Caller:
Published: Feb 24, 2016