By James Oliphant, Amanda Becker and Steve Holland
AMES, Iowa - Republicans Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, locked in a tight race in Iowa just two days before the state's crucial U.S. presidential nominating contest, urged their supporters on Saturday to give them the first victory of the 2016 campaign.
Trump, the
billionaire New York developer, and Cruz, the Texas senator, were among
10 Republicans and three Democrats campaigning in Iowa for their
parties' nominations ahead of Monday's caucus sessions but much of the
focus was on the fight between Cruz and Trump.
The influential Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics
Iowa poll released on Saturday showed a tight race, with Trump receiving
28 percent of the support of likely Iowa caucus-goers and Cruz 23
percent. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida was overwhelmingly the third
choice, at 15 percent.
In the Democratic competition, Hillary Clinton held a slight
edge over Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, 45 percent to 42 percent.
The margin of error for the poll was plus/minus 4 percent.
On Monday, Iowans
will gather in homes, gymnasiums, libraries, taverns and even grain
elevators for caucuses to select their favorite for the Democratic and
Republican presidential nominations. When they are finished, the race
will take on a new dynamic and several candidates are expected to drop
out altogether.
“This is your time,” Cruz told a crowd of about 1,000 at a hotel
ballroom. "This is the time for the men and women of Iowa to make a
decision. We are inches away.”
Across the state, Trump used stagecraft and blasted Cruz
to enliven the crowd as he barnstormed through eastern Iowa. At the
Dubuque airport, Trump's plane, with his name emblazoned on the side,
did a fly-by before he spoke to a crowd of about 400, small by Trump
standards.
“You’ve got to go
out and caucus," Trump told them. "You’ve got to get out there. I don’t
care what happens. If your wife leaves you for another man, if you leave
your wife because you don’t like her, I don’t care what it is. If
you’re sick, you’ve got to get out.”
While Trump made his remarks before the release of the
Iowa poll, he noted that other polls have shown his lead in Iowa more
tenuous than in other states.
While at his event
in Ames, Cruz refrained from attacking Trump but the New York developer
was not so circumspect. He continued to suggest that Cruz may not be
legally qualified to be president because he was born in Canada.
"How the hell can you run for president?" Trump said. "Ted has a big problem."
On the Democratic side, Clinton and Sanders, along with
former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, agreed in principle to add
four debates to their calendars, Clinton's campaign said, although the
Sanders campaign said there remained disagreements over where they
should be held. If the campaigns can find agreement, the first will be
next week in New Hampshire, contingent on approval by the Democratic
National Committee.
CLINTON ON GUN CONTROL
Clinton made a
stop as well in Ames, where she spoke to a crowd of more than 1,100 at
Iowa State University. She was introduced by former astronaut Mark Kelly
and his wife, former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords, who in 2011,
was critically wounded in an assassination attempt in Arizona. In her
remarks, Clinton praised gun-control measures recently taken by
President Barack Obama.
“None of it will stick if it’s not a voting issue, and as you
go to caucus Monday night, please think about this,” Clinton said.
Sanders, speaking at a college in Waverly, stuck to his
familiar theme of reducing economic inequality and cited his
fund-raising operation.
"I am proud to tell you that we have received almost 3 million
individual contributions, more than any other candidate in history," he
said, while criticizing Clinton, without naming her, for relying more
heavily on wealthier donors.
The New York Times editorial board Saturday weighed on the
campaign, endorsing Clinton for the Democratic nomination and
Republican John Kasich for the Republicans. The Times called Clinton one
of the most "deeply qualified presidential candidates in modern
history."
The newspaper said
Kasich, the governor of Ohio who is trailing badly in national polls,
was "the only plausible choice for Republicans tired of the extremism
and inexperience on display in this race."
The moderate Kasich will not be a factor in Iowa, where
social and religious conservatives hold sway at the caucuses. Those
voters seem to have largely cohered around the fiery Cruz, whose stump
speech carries a distinct anti-establishment tone. Conservative
commentator Glenn Beck introduced Cruz at the Ames rally.
Cruz is trying to bounce back from what many observers
considered a rocky performance in Thursday’s debate. With Trump
boycotting the event over a disagreement with sponsor Fox News Channel,
much of scrutiny fell on Cruz, who tussled with moderators and sniped
repeatedly at Rubio.
Rubio also has much to gain from Monday’s caucuses. A finish in
the top tier could give him needed momentum going into the next
nominating contest, the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 10.
He also was on the
Iowa State campus, telling about 500 people that his campaign would be
working to ensure they follow through with their support.
"We need your help. We want to stay in touch with you for
the next 48 hours," Rubio said. "We want to make sure you go caucus."
(This story has been refiled to remove extraneous word in next-to-last paragraph)