Texas Senator Ted Cruz was victorious in the first Republican nomination contest of the 2016 White House race, but there was another big winner in Iowa on Monday night: Florida Senator Marco Rubio and
Texas Senator Ted Cruz was victorious in the first Republican nomination contest of the 2016 White House race, but there was another big winner in Iowa on Monday night: Florida Senator Marco Rubio and the Republican establishment.
For months, Mr Cruz and Donald Trump’s brand of angry, scorched-earth, insurgent politics defined the race for the Republican presidential nomination, while more moderate candidates tussled with themselves to try to mount a challenge to them.
The hope among Republican party leaders has long been for a champion to emerge. And on Monday, that person was Mr Rubio, who finished a hair behind Mr Trump and only a few points behind Mr Cruz.
When Mr Rubio took the stage in a hotel ballroom after the final results were announced, he gave what amounted to a victory speech. “This is the moment they said would never happen,” the first-term Senator said. “For months, they told us we had no chance.”
The fight for the nomination has unmistakably entered a new phase.
Mr Rubio’s night shocked observers, who had predicted Mr Rubio would wind up far behind Mr Trump and Mr Cruz, with perhaps around 15-18 per cent of the vote. He finished with 23 per cent.
