COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP): Here’s the latest on the 2016 presidential race as Republican and Democratic candidates head from New Hampshire to South Carolina and beyond. (All times local)
8:55 a.m.
Score one for optimism.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio says his underwhelming debate performance and low finish in the New Hampshire primary won’t stop him from winning the Republican presidential nomination.
He says on NBC’s “Today” that he is “going to be the nominee. It is just going to take a little longer, but we are going to get there.”
Rubio was hammered by his rivals, especially New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, in last week’s debate for being repetitive and scripted. Rubio went from a third place showing in Iowa to fifth place in New Hampshire with 10.5 percent.
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8:28 a.m.
Donald Trump says he will release his tax returns “over the next few months,” attributing the delay to the size and complex nature of his taxes.
The billionaire businessman, who is coming off of a major win in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, tells NBC’S “Today” that he thinks people will be surprised “at how little I pay.”
He says, “I hate the way the government spends my money.”
Trump says he is hoping to become more of a statesman, but notes that he sees nothing wrong with using foul language at his campaign rallies.
“Political correctness is killing us,” he says. “It wasn’t the worst thing in the world.”
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8:20 a.m.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich says he will not sit back and “be a marshmallow” and allow his Republican presidential rivals to attack him.
But speaking to NBC’s “Today” Wednesday, Kasich said he will not allow the negative nature of the campaign to overshadow him positive message. Instead, he says he’ll let his record speak for itself.
Kasich won second place in Tuesday’s New Hampshire’s primary, breaking out from a pack of traditional, establishment candidates. Kasich has refrained from engaging in many of the sharp attacks that have dominated much of the discourse between his competitors.
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8:08 a.m.
Donald Trump says he talked with Chris Christie a “little bit” about the New Jersey governor dropping out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination.
Trump says on “CBS This Morning” that he and Christie spoke after the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, in which Trump won a big victory and Christie fared poorly. Seeking endorsements from any rivals that quit the race, Trump said of Christie, “He’s a friend of mine. I’m surprised he didn’t do better.”
He adds: “I’d like to see a lot of people drop out.”
Christie has cancelled an event Wednesday in South Carolina, an organizer says.
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7:56 a.m.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has cancelled an event in South Carolina on the heels of his disappointing finish in the New Hampshire GOP primary.
Brielle Applebaum of the Conservative Leadership Project says a Wednesday forum on legal and constitutional issues set for Charleston has been cancelled. South Carolina is next up on the GOP primary calendar and votes Feb. 20.
Christie told a crowd of supporters in New Hampshire on Tuesday night that he was headed home to New Jersey to “take a deep breath” and assess what comes next. On MSNBC Wednesday morning, first-place New Hampshire finisher Donald Trump said he had a “long talk” with Christie Tuesday night but did not go into detail about what was said.
