[ cheers and applause ] this is "nightline." >> tonight -- the candidates wasting no time in new hampshire. ted cruz taking a victory lap. but so many presidential hopefuls claiming to be winners tonight. >> we did really fantastically and came really close to winning. >> we're on the trail with underdog marco rubio who's praising near victory and heath up the race. plus, inside the biggest ponzi scheme in u.s. history. madoff, a once wizard of wall street, now one of the most hated criminals. inside the mind of this crook from the actor who played him in

>> i'm a rainmaker. victims. and more than seven years since crashing down some of the family's jewelry just today auctioned off for tens of millions of dollars. and it's a battle of the super bowl quarterbacks. newton versus manning. so how does this hot young newcomer stack up against the

good evening. thanks for joining us. tonight it's one down and more than 50 to go in the race for the nomination. with iowa in the rearview mirror and the new hampshire primary just one week away, candidates are scrambling to find momentum. forget the outsider. it seems many of the candidates are vying for underdog status. today the candidates raced to new hampshire. each calling themselves a winner in iowa in some form or other. >> so what a victory last night. >> we did really fantastically and came very close to winning. >> i've won and i've lost there. it's a lot better to win. >> reporter: but in a race so narrow it came down to a coin toss in six parts of the state. >> it is tails. >> reporter: it's the candidates who didn't come in first who are spinning it into a triumph.

of america's favorite underdog. >> last night we began the political revolution, not just in iowa, not just in new country. who won? and really as we're seeing it's not just the person who came in first. yes, ted cruz won. but also marco rubio's a winner because he almost knocked donald trump out of that second slot. on the democratic side, yes, hillary clinton is a winner, but because bernie sanders chased her really to a tie he's a winner too. this is my fight song >> reporter: despite celebrating last night hillary clinton wasn't officially declared the winner in iowa until late today. by a razor-thin margin. >> thank you, iowa. >> reporter: today a new state, a new set of voters, and another opportunity for candidates to make their vote for me pledge. we checked in with our campaign reporters who've been following the candidates for months.

today we are certainly seeing momentum or marcomentum, as the campaign is calling it. >> the trump campaign right now, it's again crunch time. >> reporter: he seemed positive, res resolute, 235rd thinking today on the trail in new hampshire. >> the state of iowa has spoken. >> reporter: on the republican side it was freshman senator ted cruz from texas defying the polls, cruising to victory. >> you're seeing evangelicals and libertarians and reagan democrats all coming together. and as you all know, that was our plan from day one, bringing together that coalition. >> reporter: his win fueled by the fervor of the evangelicals he constantly courts. and by his ground game. touching every county in the state. making a total of 123 stops in iowa. compare that to the 39 stops made by second place donald trump. even though he's still leading in national polls, trump has added a different title to his golden resume. loser. the website loser.com

donald's wikipedia page. and now one of trump's old tweets coming back to haunt him. "no one remembers who came in second. walter hagen." >> beautiful. tremendous. >> reporter: tonight in milford, new hampshire trump refusing to back down. >> if we are attacked, somebody attacks us, wouldn't you rather have trump as president if you're attacked? we'll beat the [ bleep ] out of them. >> new hampshire counts. >> reporter: but here in new hampshire trump supporters are still confident the donald will prevail. >> he's going to make america great again! >> reporter: despite his third-place finish the biggest surprise and perhaps biggest score of the night was marco rubio. >> they told me i needed to wait my turn. that i needed to wait in line. >> reporter: his late surge giving him the green light to cut the line. >> nice to meet you. >> likewise. >> reporter: today nbc's

llamas spoke with him. >> you came in third place but explain why this is a victory for you. >> ted cruz is the front-runner in iowa. basically his entire campaign is an iowa campaign. >> reporter: do you think ted cruz will say anything to get elected? >> do i believe he's been very calculated and i do think he's willing to say or do just about anything to get a vote. >> reporter: his opponents taking aim at him, blasting him for being overpackaged and overcontrolled by his handlers. >> so when senator rubio gets here, the boy in the bubble gets here, i hope you guys ask him some questions because it's time for him to start answering questions. >> reporter: rubio shot back. >> chris has had a tough couple days. he's not doing well. did very poorly in iowa. >> reporter: so who is this young conservative underdog with just enough establishment cred for a potential breakthrough in new hampshire? beating the odds has long been the political narrative for rubio. >> what's good? >> i mean, you want to eat healthy or you want to eat good? >> i want to eat good. >> reporter: terry moran interviewed him for "nightline"

surprising everyone by beating a favorite governor to win a seat in the senate. >> no one thought he'd be able to win his senate seat. he came from behind to defeat charlie crist. >> reporter: a long shot for the then 39-year-old politician, the son of cuban immigrants. >> i guess i always grew up knowing that i would have chances to do things my parents didn't have a chance to do. >> do you ever feel, given your upbringing, a minority? >> i've never felt -- i always felt like an american. >> reporter: with his boyish charm and easy smile, his star continued to rise. the candidate and his wife speaking to abc news last year after announcing his run for president. >> so you've got to tell us, was he smooth? is that a no? >> well -- >> i was funny. >> he was funny. that he was. he was funny. he definitely charmed me with his humor. >> reporter: rubio and his wife jeanette were high school sweethearts. the daughter of colombian immigrants, the former miami dolphins cheerleader now raising

where they first met. >> what can you tell us about what the family meeting was made? >> oh, my gosh. you can just imagine. i mean, the kids, especially the young ones, they were excited. >> president obama had to promise his kids a dog after the >> they already have a dog. anything? >> we heard the story early on in their time in the white house how ought bama family finally realized you get a bill every month for ice cream and pizza and it's like a hotel. >> once the kids heard that, especially my -- danielle, she was, we want that. >> you live in the one country in the world where it doesn't matter that your dad is a maid. >> reporter: rubio has come a long way. once known for this aquatic gaffe at the high-profile gop union. he's now impressing establishment republicans, having performed well during debates. >> i want to bring people out of the shadows. now you want to trump trump on immigration.

going. >> americans love the underdog story. of course eight years ago president obama came in as the underdog, and he was up against the inevitable candidate, hillary clinton. of course he made it to the white house. around. thank you and god bless you. >> reporter: rubio's momentum now in the hands of new hampshire voters. and be sure to watch the next republican debate saturday night right here on abc. up next, these actors are getting inside the minds of the madoff scandal. and later, the quarterbacks taking aim at the nfl's biggest crown. [tires spinning] [glass shattering] [screaming] [electricity arching] [pole crashing] [impact thud] the bold nissan rogue,

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he is the widely loathed man now serving a 150-year prison sentence for stealing billions of dollars in america's most devastating ponzi scheme. the epic saga "madoff" makes its way onto the screen, and tonight we're behind the scenes for an up close look at the tragedy. here's abc's david wright. >> mr. madoff, what do you have to say for yourself? >> reporter: imagine going inside the mind of the most notorious wall street villain of all time, bernie madoff. >> you want to know how to get people to trust you with their money? >> reporter: the man who stole billions got away with it for years. actor richard dreyfuss embodies the man. >> that's right. just me. >> reporter: in the new abc miniseries debuting tomorrow. >> i ran the biggest ponzi scheme in history. okay? within the biggest ponzi scheme in history. >> reporter: playing a villain

>> i played cheney. >> madoff's easy after cheney. >> that's right. >> reporter: the series details how madoff deceived and defrauded 20,000 investors, including friends. even his own family. >> this is a man who loved his brother, loved his wife, and loved his kids and betrayed his wife, his kids, and his brother without even thinking. >> reporter: his wife, ruth madoff, is played by blythe danner. >> i love you. >> i need you. there's a difference. >> reporter: danner studied up before taking on the role. >> you went pretty close to the source. >> i did. i had the opportunity to meet ruth. which was chilling initially. i remember feeling this wave of sort of frozen. >> did she have any advice for you in terms of playing the role? >> she just told me she was numb through all of it. >> reporter: she says ruth

idea it was all a ponzi scheme. and danner believed her. >> i mean, she's a very fragile woman, having been through hell and back. >> reporter: ruth was never charged with a crime. but she still lost everything. after her husband went to prison, the woman who once owned luxury properties in manhattan, palm beach, and the hamptons was suddenly cut off from society. >> she wasn't allowed to go to her beauty parlor or this local store that she always went to. friends -- she lost all those friends. >> reporter: everything but 2.5 million was seized. she now lives in a modest rental in connecticut. >> she walks every day and sees her grandkids and is a very good grandmother and very loved. i'm sure that's a tremendous help. >> reporter: her sons andrew and mark also turned on her. they both worked for the family business but on a different floor. >> the exclusive fund with the amazingly consistent returns?

that i run from down here on the 17th floor. >> reporter: in a part of the business that authorities determined had nothing to do with the ponzi scheme. >> and the investment services is a -- a lie. >> what are you talking about? what do you mean a lie? >> reporter: when madoff eventually confessed to them -- >> it's a ponzi scheme. >> reporter: -- it was mark and andrew who turned their father in. >> where are you going? >> to find a lawyer s&p. >> what, are you going to walk around street and ask if he can represent you? >> they say the sins of the father shouldn't be inflicted on the sons. and in bernie madoff's case they were in a big way. >> very much so. and i think that's why mark killed himself. >> reporter: the stigma of being a madoff was too much for mark. he hanged himself in his apartment. while his 2-year-old son was in the next room. his wife, stephanie mack, later spoke with abc news. >> i had such a rage. i had such anger in that moment. such anger at bernie madoff. such anger at ruth madoff.

>> reporter: in the miniseries mark madoff is played by tom lipinski. >> we're good at what we do, dad. so why won't you just let us in? >> the challenge of the role was to come to grips and understand just how deeply felt the betrayal of his father was. >> reporter: four years after mark madoff killed himself his younger brother andrew died of cancer. madoff had thousands of victims. among them steven spielberg and holocaust survivor elie wiesel. as well as many who were neither rich nor famous. >> he just needs to be put away. >> really, i would love to see him with nothing. >> reporter: even his own trusted secretary of 25 years, eleanor squilari gave him $150,000 of her inheritance to invest. >> you guys probably make

>> reporter: in the movie she's played by erin cummings. >> bring in a bank check tomorrow, and i'll take care of you. >> reporter: squilari even served as a consultant for the movie, on set here describing to richard dreyfuss how madoff often treated his children. >> but during their relationship here he would -- he would say things in front of other people? >> at times he would, yes. if they crossed him, he would get really mean. >> you will never, ever be old enough to say go to hell to your father. never. >> reporter: oscar winner richard dreyfuss says unlike his co-star blythe danner he didn't bother to reach out to his character. >> i didn't. i refused to see him. >> would he have seen you, do you think? >> he would have taken a phone call. definitely. and i said -- i decided not to. i made a conscious choice. because i thought what is he going to do, tell me the truth? you know?

>> reporter: last summer we visited dreyfuss on the set. >> do you know anybody who lost money through it? >> oh, yeah. yeah. personally, i knew people long before i was asked to do the film, and then since then i found out that a lot of people. >> reporter: almost eight years later authorities are still clawing back money from investors who took out more money than they put in. over 11 billion has been recovered so far. just today u.s. marshals auctioned off six pieces of jewelry that once belonged to the madoffs. his houses and yachts were already sold for tens of millions of dollars. but many of his victims will never be made whole. bernie madoff himself is living out his days at the butner correctional facility in north carolina, where his grandchildren have never once come to see him. >> i guess the only place that he's considered to be a hero is in prison, from what we hear. >> really? >> how do you do it, bernie kind

jail? >> probably. don't they all? >> reporter: you've got to be wondering if he'll be watching the saga. god knows with a 150-year hands. i'm david wright in new york. >> and "madoff" premieres tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. right here on abc. up next it's superman versus the sheriff. but what do these two football stars have in common? t i'm billy, rand i quit smoking withvchantix. i decided to take chantix to shut everybody else up about me quitting smoking. i was going to give it a try, but i didn't really think it was going to really happen. after one week of chantix, i knew i could quit. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix definitely helped reduce my urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some had seizures while taking chantix. if you have any of these, stop chantix and call your

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(donkey sound) (elephant sound) there's a big difference between making noise, (tapping sound) and making sense. (elephant sound) (donkey sound) when it comes to social security, we need more than lip service. our next president needs a real plan to keep social security strong. (elephant noise) hey candidates. enough talk.

this year's super bowl

the brash young upstart just beginning to make his mark versus the legendary veteran putting the finishing touches on a storied career. but cam newton just may have more in common with peyton manning than you might think. >> the carolina panthers are nfc champions. >> denver wins it. heading to super bowl 50. >> reporter: they're both at the top of their game. the seemingly unstoppable cam newton of the carolina panthers. >> can't wrap him up. he's still going! >> reporter: and the living legend and grizzled veteran of the denver broncos, peyton manning. super bowl 50 will feature a quarterback match-up of epic proportions. but these two star athletes have veryiffent sles. teray. newt is tfrai t tak faionsks. heocke the$850 vsace pas sterday. theye sce solut line and he reportedly dropped $12,000 on this fox fail tail

manning is a little more classic. >> i like your style. >> reporter: they get tv work. manning for nationwide. chicken parm, you taste so good >> while newton is fired up about dannon yogurt. >> it packs 15 grams of protein punch. >> reporter: when it comes to a-list punch, cam newton's crew includes drake. manning kicks it with derek jeter and his brother on the field cam newton's nickname is superman. inspired by one of his signature celebration moves and no doubt these head over heels plays. >> he really was superman on that play. >> reporter: while peyton manning is the sheriff. laying down the law for his offense. newton made this dance move, the dab, into a viral sensation. manning has his catchphrase instead. omaha. >> omaha! omaha! omaha! >> reporter: a play call he's been known to use over 40 times during a game. they do have a few similarities. for one, they both have plenty of hardware.