Marco Rubio campaign downplays Super Tuesday to donors
Marco Rubio's campaign is working to ease donors' concerns about a potentially poor Super Tuesday showing, with aides making a series of presentations Tuesday morning to bundlers and K Street lobbyist-types outlining the candidate's path forward.
Campaign manager Terry Sullivan said at the meeting, first reported by Politico and confirmed by CBS News, that Rubio could receive as few as 100 delegates Tuesday night but that ultimately his performance Tuesday night doesn't matter in the long run -- because the campaign has a plan to keep GOP front-runner Donald Trump from ever getting the required 1,237 delegates to win the nomination.
That plan, according to an attendee at one of the meetings, depends in large part on the Republican primary remaining a three- or four-person race, with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and/or Ohio Gov. John Kasich continuing on through the spring.
In fact, the strategy doesn't hinge on Rubio winning any single state in particular: if he and Cruz stayed in through the end, for example, Rubio's campaign estimates the two candidates could earn enough delegates to keep Trump from hitting 1,237.
Speaking to reporters in Andover, Minn., Rubio echoed that strategy, repeating his claim that he will not allow Trump to reach the number of delegates necessary to clinch the nomination.
"Donald Trump will never have 1,237 delegates," he said. "And I'm going to campaign as long as it takes, beyond Florida, I'm going to campaign as long as it takes to ensure our party doesn't fall into the hands of a con artist."
Steve Chaggaris and Sean Gallitz contributed to this article.