Marco Rubio Wins Puerto Rico Primary; Bernie Sanders Takes Maine Caucuses
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida won the Puerto Rico primary on Sunday, giving him a much-needed victory after a string of losses that threatened to push the Republican presidential nomination further out of his reach.
In Maine, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont won the Democratic caucuses on Sunday, according to The Associated Press.
The victory in Puerto Rico came a day after Mr. Rubio was shut out of first-place finishes in all four of Saturday’s Republican nominating contests. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas won the caucuses in Kansas and Maine, and Donald J. Trump won the Kentucky caucuses and the Louisiana primary.
The 23 delegates awarded to Mr. Rubio from Puerto Rico still leave him trailing far behind Mr. Cruz and Mr. Trump.
Saturday’s results helped Mr. Cruz emerge as the main alternative for Republicans hoping to halt Mr. Trump’s momentum. Mr. Cruz has now beaten Mr. Trump, who holds the lead in delegates, in six states. Mr. Rubio’s lone previous victory came in the Minnesota caucuses.
Mr. Rubio — who in recent days has focused on his home state, which he must win in its March 15 primary if he hopes to continue his campaign — made a detour to Puerto Rico on Saturday, campaigning in San Juan and holding a news conference, mostly in Spanish, in a last-minute push to win the primary.
Puerto Rico, which has roughly 3.7 million residents, could help Mr. Rubio in his home state’s primary. More than one million Puerto Ricans live in Florida, concentrated most heavily around Orlando, and many were closely watching their island’s contest Sunday.
Puerto Rico is embroiled in a debt crisis, with the territory facing a deficit of more than $70 billion. Mr. Rubio took a tough line on the matter in Congress, urging Puerto Rico to focus on improving its economy and fixing its troubled fiscal situation rather than seeking bankruptcy protection.
Mr. Sanders’s win in Maine was his third of the weekend, and he assured supporters he still had “a path toward victory” and urged the news media not to “write us off.”
It came a day after he won the caucuses in Kansas and Nebraska. But Hillary Clinton, Mr. Sanders’s Democratic rival, also notched a decisive victory on Saturday, beating him in the Louisiana primary.
On Tuesday, Michigan will hold its primary, a critical test for both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Sanders as the nominating contests incorporate Rust Belt states. On Sunday night, the Democratic debate was held in Flint, Mich., where the water crisis was the primary focus.
Mrs. Clinton campaigned in Detroit on Friday, laying out her job growth plan, which includes providing incentives for employers to invest in the United States and “clawing back” tax incentives from companies that move their business overseas.
For Mr. Sanders, Michigan — with its working-class voters who may be receptive to his populist message — is the sort of state he needs to win to remain viable and prove he can beat Mrs. Clinton, who decimated him in the South with the strong backing of African-American voters.
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