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'Marco-mentum' could give Rubio the Republican nomination

US NEWS RUBIO 1 MS
GOP presidential candidate Marco Rubio, who made a brief stop in Minneapolis for a fundraiser at the Minneapolis Club, announces a "Minnesota Leadership Team," during a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 in Minneapolis. (Elizabeth Flores/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS)

Some can say it’s too early to call, but I’m going to do it anyway. I am here to project that Marco Rubio will be the Republican nominee for president of the U.S.

His campaign said he would finish third in Iowa, second in New Hampshire and first in South Carolina. He believes this will be enough to down Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in order to rally the establishment voters to his corner.

That’s exactly what’s going to happen. Establishment Republicans have been waiting for candidates like Jeb Bush and John Kasich to make a move but the name that keeps popping up as a potential frontrunner is Rubio’s.

The latest poll out of New Hampshire shows Rubio holding onto second place with 15 percent. Cruz trails at 14 percent, but Trump still holds a commanding lead at 36 percent.

Bush and Kasich are still lingering, claiming 8 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

The “Marco-mentum,” as his supporters call it, is swinging in his favor and doesn’t show any signs of slowing.

Cruz was able to point out earlier this week that the Republican frontrunner was having a “Trump-ertantrum” over him apparently “stealing’’ Iowa, not actually winning.

Whatever grace Trump attempted to show in his concession speech was wiped away immediately and the insult antics resumed between the two.

Rubio has been able to keep himself calm and composed while campaigning but draws more and more support from the growing crowds he draws to events.

We’ve seen this before, in 2008, Mike Huckabee won Iowa for the extreme right but lost to John McCain and the establishment middle-ground in New Hampshire and beyond. In 2012, Rick Santorum won Iowa for the extreme right but lost to Mitt Romney and the establishment middle-ground in New Hampshire and beyond.

2016 is definitely not shaping up to be like previous elections, but party politics always plays back to the safe side once the extreme shows its real colors after a primary win.

The youth can change the course of the GOP primary just like they've taken Hillary Clinton from the "inevitable" nominee and dropped her into the ocean of doubt, allowing Bernie Sanders to rise from the depths of his "progressive" platform.

Rubio seems to be the most successful candidate to reach out to the youth and pull their independent, moderate minds into his campaign. The more he takes advantage of younger voters the more his chances of locking up the nomination grow.

Expect to see Rubio finish second in New Hampshire behind Trump, but after that it’s going to be all “Ru(bae)o” all the way to Cleveland and the Republican presidential nomination.

Related Links:

Editorial: GOP changes

Cruz is no JFK, but Rubio might be


Reach the columnist at abundy@asu.edu or follow @abkbundy on Twitter.

Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.

Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.

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