ATLANTA (AP) – Donald Trump looks to extend his dominance as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio scramble for delegates in presidential primary contests across 11 states on a Super Tuesday, stained by panic from Republican leaders even before the results were known.
Fearing a Trump sweep, Republican officials across the nation lashed out at the billionaire businessman’s temperament and command of the issues in the hours before voting began. Having won three consecutive primary elections, Trump was poised to tighten his grasp on the GOP nomination in primary elections from Georgia to Massachusetts and Texas to Arkansas.
“These are challenging times for the Republican Party,” Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who wanted to stay neutral in the GOP primary but endorsed Rubio last week. “Those that care deeply, as myself, probably should have been engaged earlier in trying to show that Donald Trump is not the right one to lead the conservative movement and to lead our party.”
The comments came during a wild prelude to Super Tuesday that featured a dispute over the Klu Klux Klan, a violent clash between a photographer and a secret service agent, and extraordinary criticism from several Republican governors and senators who refused to say whether they would support their party’s front-runner should Trump win the nomination.
A confident Trump brushed off his critics on Tuesday morning, suggesting that he’s helping to grow the party and even attracting Democrats to the GOP.