GOP Presidential Race Appears To Be Narrowing, But Does It Help Ted Cruz?
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DALLAS (CBSDFW) - The Republican field of Presidential candidates appears to be shrinking.
After Super Tuesday's results, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson says he sees no path to the nomination.
Dr. Carson stopped short of quitting the race for now, but says he'll address this during a speech before conservatives Friday.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz is hoping that Carson and the other candidates drop out and back him so he can directly battle Donald Trump.
Cruz made a direct appeal Tuesday night during a speech to his supporters. "I ask you to prayerfully consider our coming together, united."
For that to happen, Cruz will need to convince the GOP to rally around him, and SMU Political Science professor Cal Jillson says that may be difficult considering Cruz has repeatedly run against the Republican establishment.
Jillson, says, "I think to the extent there is a Republican establishment, it's in total meltdown because it has no idea whether Cruz is better than Trump or Trump is better than Cruz for the Republican Party."
But Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who's only won one state so far, and who trails Trump in the polls in his home state, insists he's taking his campaign to all 50 states.
He told supporters Trump is too risky to the party. "We cannot elect someone who's trying to carry out a con job."
After winning seven of last night's 11 states, Trump says he is expanding the Republican party. "I would love to see the Republican party and everybody get together and unify and when we unify, there's nobody that's going to beat us."
While Trump has captured most states, he only has 90 more delegates than Cruz.
There's already talk there could be a fight at the convention to keep Trump from winning the nomination, but Jillson doubts it. "There is no smooth, attractive path to take the nomination from
Trump and give it to somebody else. There's going to to be blood on the floor."
Jillson says that could damage the Republican party for awhile.
As for Cruz, Jillson says he still faces an uphill battle to surpass Trump, especially if Rubio and Ohio Governor John Kasich remain in the race for at least another two weeks.
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