MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (AP) – The Latest on campaign 2016 (all times local):
11:50 a.m.
Jeb Bush is continuing to paint himself as the Republican candidate for president best poised to lead and rebuild the American military.
Speaking to more than 100 employees at FN America’s Columbia, South Carolina gun manufacturing facility Tuesday, Bush said that his executive experience as governor, particularly leading and deploying Florida’s National Guard, gives him the skillset needed to manage the country’s armed forces and also help support them when they return home as veterans.
Bush’s comments Tuesday focused heavily on gun rights. He also addressed the Supreme Court vacancy following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia Saturday, saying that he would choose someone who like Scalia was a “lover of liberty.”
11:45 a.m.
Marco Rubio says he’s planning to release his tax returns “any day” — or even “momentarily.”
The Republican presidential candidate addressed the release of his tax returns Tuesday as he campaigned in South Carolina.
He released several years of returns during his 2010 Senate campaign, but has yet to release any returns beyond the 2009 tax year.
Rubio did not specify the release date when pressed by The Associated Press Tuesday, but said it would be soon. He plans to release returns covering tax years from 2009 through 2014.
It’s common for leading presidential candidates to release their returns.
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11:40 a.m.
Hillary Clinton says the country still has “work to do” to ensure equal rights and is focusing her campaign on “breaking every barrier.”
The Democratic presidential candidate is meeting with civil rights leaders in New York City.
The civil rights groups say they have rules prohibiting candidate endorsements. But Rev. Al Sharpton is offering warm words for Clinton, nothing that he sometimes “goes the rails” and backs a candidate. Her rival, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, met with Sharpton in Harlem last week.
She plans to deliver a speech on combating systemic racism this afternoon. Aides say she will call for a “comprehensive commitment” to equal opportunity for African Americans.
Clinton’s appearance with the African-American leaders comes as the Democratic nominating contest hurtles toward states with significant black voting populations.
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11:30 a.m.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is laying out his proposal for bolstering the U.S. military in South Carolina, a state with a large military and veteran population.
Cruz on Tuesday detailed his military platform inside the U.S.S. Yorktown, a World War II-era aircraft carrier.
Cruz called for increasing the number of active duty troops, airplanes and battleships. He did not put a price tag on his plans, but pointed to former President Ronald Reagan’s approach as a model for how he would get it done.
Cruz said he will pay for it by cutting federal spending by at least $500 billion, sell federal assets and properties and also audit the Pentagon to find savings.
Voters in South Carolina will cast their votes for a Republican nominee for president on Saturday.