by Rod D. Martin
November 13, 2015
Most important political fact of the week: The consolidation of a clear Final Four in the Republican primary race.
Anyone watching the debate saw this. Cruz and Rubio owned the night; Trump, though more reserved (more presidential?) held his ground; and Carson, though underwhelming, didn’t slip. Everyone else (except the unusually obnoxious – even for him – John Kasich) was filler.
As of this writing, we’re still awaiting a post-debate national poll. But plenty of other polls bear this out, in a grinding, relentless sort of way that must seem utterly surreal inside the Beltway (and in Coral Gables). As of this morning Trump and Carson are statistically tied in Florida (24% and 23%), with Rubio close behind at 18% and Cruz at 12%. The most recent Iowa polling shows an almost identical picture (though Bush is much further behind). A new Georgia poll shows Carson leading Trump 26%-24%, Cruz in third at 14% and Rubio in fourth at 9%.
It gets worse, from John …
