not the head of the afl-cio. i'm head of the new england police benevolent association. i look after my members to ensure they have the best person to be endorsed. that's what we did collectively as a union. >> jerry flynn, thank you very much for joining us tonight. i really appreciate it. trump at his zenith. let's play "hardball." good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. can you imagine someone predicting a year ago that on this december, the eve of presidential voting, the poll numbers would stand where they do? suppose i said jeb bush, son and brother of presidents would stand 41% and donald trump, businessman who never held office was down at 3%? you'd say that sounds right.

that mavericks sense. but guess what? it's not bush at 41%, trump at 3%. it's the other way around. 41%, the highest any candidate has gotten. bush, the son and brother of presidents down 3% within the margin of error of nothing. that's the big story tonight. tomorrow we have the big las vegas debate where trump might be thinking knockout. katy tur and hallie jackson join me from the site of the republican debate. this is a nightmare for republican establishment types. donald trump has broken 41% nationally. trump has opened up a 27-point lead over the field. this is the highest level of support for trump ever in a major national poll. that's the big news tonight. ted cruz, the other establishment seeking missile is rising in iowa.

that's just in iowa. ahead of tomorrow night's big debate, all the focus on these two candidates, trump sharpening his attacks on cruz. friday night trump attacked cruz' faith and called him out of step with iowa voters. >> i do like ted cruz, but not a lot of evangelicals come out of cuba, in all fairness. it's true. not a lot come out. but i like him nevertheless. if ted cruz is against ethanol, how does he win in iowa? because that's very anti-iowa. i don't know how he wins in iowa. i don't know. >> in an interview that aired yesterday, trump escalated the attack calling cruz a maniac. >> i don't think he's qualified to be president. >> why not? >> i don't think he has the right temperament. i don't think he's got the right

judgment. >> what's wrong with his temperament? >> you look at the way he's dealt with the senate. he goes in there like, frankly like a little bit of a maniac. never going to get things done that way. you can't walk into the senate and scream and call people liars and not be able to cajole and get along with people. he'll never get anything done. that's the problem with ted. >> donald trump with the brooks brother's rules on gentlemanly conduct. katy tur, is tomorrow night his knockout night? does he go for the guy? >> he could potentially. we said this in the past. about ben carson, in was his moment to knock him out and he didn't do that there. i'm not sure we'll see him take a big swing at ted cruz tomorrow. i could certainly be wrong. historically in the debates, donald trump backed off into the

background and not taken those swings we had expected him to. we should note he and cruz are going for the same voters. there is a risk of alienating the people who like ted cruz by coming out swinging too hard. he is homing in on a few attack lines. one is the evangelical faith saying not many evangelicals come out of cuba. we saw him do that successfully with ben carson, questioning his evangelical roots. not clear how successful he might be with ted cruz. homing in on his senate record and the fact nobody likes him in the senate, saying he can't get along with people. he won't be able to get things done in the way i'll be able to get things done. i'm a uniter it. worked with independents. i can make them get along and agree. >> last week senator cruz said his approach to trump is to love him to death. after trump attacked cruz, he tweeted out the famous "flash dance" video saying, this in honor of my friend donald trump

and good-hearted maniacs everywhere he's being cute here. halle, is this the rope-a-dope strategy of letting him punch away at him? is this the strategy? >> kind of letting him bring it. you talked about that "flashdance" tweet. there was talk, was this part of an elaborate social media strategy? who thought of that? ted cruz, i'm told was sitting at home and tweeted it up. he's got to feel good about the kind of play it's getting. is's loose. he feels like he can do this. katie talked about donald trump bringing it to ted cruz on the issue of likability which could be a vulnerable for cruz moving forward. this is a way to say i'm funny, i'm relatable. i would be surprised if we saw ted cruz go after donald trump tomorrow night.

remember their position on stage. the two will be side by side. will we have a moment where donald trump physically turns and attacks him and goes after him? i'm hard pressed to say cruz wouldn't respond and defend himself. >> do you think trump will use his height advantage? historically before television camera, height was the big thing. until nixon lost to mcgovern who everybody thought was shorter than nixon -- maybe that's the reason he lost. you have a guy 6'2, trump, and ted cruz is 5'8". i would think if they go head-to-head, it's going to look interesting. >> he's a pretty imposing figure. it is unclear how hard he is going to punch him. they are going for the same votes. if he hits too hard and alienates cruz' base, he could alienate a base that could come over to him. donald trump is trying to bring more into his fold.

when he hears ted cruz say he is going to give him a bear hug, he wants ted cruz to attack him. the idea of him attacking cruz hard first is risky for him. i'm not sure we'll see that tomorrow. good indicator is what trump will say at his rally here in las vegas tonight. how hard he goes after cruz will be an indicator how hard he will go after him tomorrow night. he does tend to go after the other opponents much harder at his rallies. >> politically, who does a trump/cruz cage match benefit? the establishment. >> dozen cruise have a response if trump goes back to the birtherism thing and turns that on him? the fact he was born outside the country -- could you argue the strict constructionists means you're born here. it's simple.

it's in the constitution. why is trump going to give him a fly on that? >> i think this is not something ted cruz hasn't heard about during his senate run and during his political life. i think ted cruz will be prepared for that. >> it's not relevant until you run for president. that is where there is a prescription there, you should be natural born. >> i think you are going to hear ted cruz talk about the fact he is naturalized here in america if that does come up from donald trump tomorrow night. >> thank you so much. i love that picture of the bridge of sighs out there. i first saw it with you out there, katy, i thought she's in italy. there it is, the bridge of sighs. >> from your lips to god's ears, chris matthews. >> this is our experience together. >> thank you. it's a pretty place. too bad you are not in the real place. >> i'm joined by john ralston and eugene robinson who needs no

introduction. this looks like a big fight tonight. it does have the elements of a don king match. what do you think? is that your bet it will be the kind of thing cnn is looking for? >> i don't think there is any doubt donald trump will make comments about ted cruz. look at what cruz did. you were talking about him putting out that maniac clip on twitter. others thought it was creepy. he's not going to take on donald trump. cruz will make a joke about it or pivot and attack the media for trying to create discord between republicans. >> i agree. i don't see a cage match tomorrow. i don't think it's in either of their interests. both are doing really well.

trump has this huge lead in the national poll. cruz vaulted to first place in iowa. >> is iowa too obscure to matter in republican politics? >> right. >> don't it run the risk of being too bizarre? >> it is an odd state. clearly obviously you can lose iowa and win the nomination. maybe iowa puts you in the twilight zone. >> we are looking at donald trump who has this nationwide appeal among people ticked off. we get why he's popular. and cruz mystifies me. what is the cruz appeal? he is not a particularly charming fellow.

he has nothing in terms of personality that would appeal to anybody. just he hugged the right wing rail and not letting anybody get past him on the right on any issue? is that it? >> i appreciate that you're talking to somebody from a nonobscure and nonweird state out here in nevada. i never thought we'd hear the day on that. >> i've got a normal record out there. >> exactly. >> though hillary won out there last time. >> obama won the caucus getting more delegates. we are the melting pot. ted cruz is extraordinarily smart, whether you like him or not. he says all the right things. he can pivot off any question asked and get his talking points out there. he has run a calculating, tortoise versus hare race. he has a lot of money. he's very good in those debates getting his points out. >> after months of praising him, rush limbaugh is going after trump for attacking cruz.

here is rush today. always interesting to watch this guy in action. >> so unlike trump, that's a huge mistake for any of you holding out hope that trump is a genuine conservative. genuine conservative even in the republican field would not go after cruz this way. he's decided to go after cruz the way the establishment republican go after cruz. he put on his john mccain hat here. >> trump accused cruz of being unworkable. there has to be a negative connotation. >> cruz devoted his senate career alienating the party establishment. >> he calls the top guy a wire. >> john mccain called him a waco bird. he generates mutiny against house republicans and leads them.

look where he is. he's a smart guy. >> trump is a builder. he's not a debater. he put out these big buildings. imwine of these kids that looks up in new york and goes, wow this guy built that and this. why doesn't he run a paid tv ad in these states? most people would be impressed with a guy or woman who built a lot of stuff. do you want the builder or the debater and put down the rubios and cruz and say this guy has done stuff with his life. why donald trump spend some of his billions on a tv ad campaign and stop all this arguing for free tv? your thoughts. >> i think he thinks he doesn't have to spend the money. you heard the cliche about the richer they are, the cheaper they are. he's gotten tens of millions of dollars in free media. he's at the top of the polls. he must think why do you need to spend money?

>> to win iowa. >> can donald trump win iowa? before cruz took the lead, carson was in the lead. >> iowa is a tough state for donald trump. he's been working the state. it may be that iowa is just not the right field for donald trump. >> do people home schooled not own tvs? >> i don't know. maybe they just -- maybe they prefer ted cruz. in any event, as i said, you can lose iowa and you can go ahead. >> iowa is like go, go, go, you got it made. jon ralston, i will not call your state weird. i will be out there tomorrow for the republican debate. join us here at "hardball" at 7:00 eastern. after the debate come back for two hours of post game reaction. they've got me all night, which

i do like. as national security becomes the top issue in voters' minds, 41% of people say it's the top issue. there is pressure for the president to reassure the country he is taking the fight to isis. what about the republicans? are we to hear wild talk as the candidates try to outtough each other, outhawk each other? a lot of women love the idea of electing hillary clinton was the first woman president. the generational challenge. >> and david o. russell is with us. his new movie "joy" is the only in america story of a divorced mother of three who builds a business empire. quite a story. let me fin usual with the astounding number posted by donald trump and need for special care and who you root for.

two new polls out for the democratic race in iowa. hillary clinton holds a nine-point lead over bernie sanders. martin o'malley down at 4%. new fox news poll has clinton up 14%.

we are hitting isil harder than ever. coalition aircraft, fighters, bombers and drones have been increasing the pace of air strikes nearly 9,000 as of today. we dropped more bombs on isil targets since this campaign started. we are taking out isil leaders, commanders and killers one by one. welcome back to "hardball." after critics panned his oval office address one last week,

president obama set to reassure the country he is making every effort to destroy the group. 34% approve the president's handling of isis. 40% of americans say terrorism and national security should be the top priority for the federal government. that is above economics which is so strange. when you look at those results by party idea, they find terrorism is a bigger concern among republicans than democrats. 58% say it's the top issue compared to 26% of democrats. 3-5 republicans, but only 1-4 democrats think it's the top issue. the weeks since paris and san bernardino, we heard the leading republican candidates with attempts to outmatch each other. donald trump called for punitive

measures against all muslims while others called the fight against terrorism a clash of civilizations and a world war. take a listen. >> what we are involved in now is a civilizational conflict with radical islam. they hate us because we have freedom of speech p, diversity in religious beliefs. we are a tolerant society. this is a clash of civilizations and they win or we win. >> donald j. trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on. >> if i am elected president, we will defeat radical islamic terrorists. we will carpet bomb them into oblivion. i don't know if sand can glow in the dark, but we'll find out. >> these are animals we need to

bring the fight to. this is the next world war and we have to confront it. >> just a sampling what we can expect to hear in tomorrow night's debate. the first debate since the terror attacks in paris and san bernardino. david, same question. paris. why was it so big? why has it become so big in the american heart right now? people have been affected by what happened over there. >> i think because it involved hundreds of people killed and injured in a major international area. >> restaurants, concert halls. >> not to diminish the tragedy of san bernardino. san bernardino was mounted by two, maybe three sort of outliers. >> who we know of. >> so far as we know right now. the operation in paris looked

like a more traditional terrorist attack. >> simultaneous strikes. >> if it was not ordered by the isis command, was part of the command structure. that makes it much more emblematic of the type of terrorism we fear. >> the fear we can strike anywhere. it's the most beautiful city probably anywhere. why do you think it struck home to the heart of america politically? to make terrorism the number one national concern right now? >> part of that juxtaposition, such a lovely city people associate with warm and fuzzy feelings. and this sense of the infiltration. how many of those guys could have been there and planned something like this so sophisticated and have it get by the intelligence services? it was a wake-up call to say

we've been hearing for months now the intelligence services around the world, particularly in the u.s., fbi, they're monitoring these guys all over the place. watching as best they can. you realize they can miss a group of that size in one of the world's largest cities. it's pretty easy to imagine something like that jumping over here. fortunately, there are reasons why it's easier for them to do in europe than here. >> you have communities over there that are not penetrable by the outside community. republicans say it's okay to hate muslims. there are a lot of regular people will die because you are carpet bombing. you are not going after the bad guys. you're killing everybody there. animals. call them what they are. bad people, but what is this animal thing? that christie is throwing around. >> republicans have a tough job.

they want to bash obama and sound tougher than the other republicans. they don't want to sound, most of them, like they are going to start another war with american troops. >> so you kill them with hatred? >> they keep upping the rhetoric which is pointless. none of them have a plan to do anything different. we are going to nuke the north of iraq and that's going to make a difference? carpet bombing did not work in vietnam. it didn't have a lot of benefits for good parts of world war ii. it's really not a plan. it's just being emotional and visceral. >> marco rubio has tried to plot a course between trump and cruz on the issue of terrorism. on "meet the press" yesterday, rubio portrayed trump's proposed ban on muslims as being too heavy handed. >> if you look at the statements he made this week, obviously he made them partially to recapture the limelight after having lost it.

it's offensive and outlandish. it's not going to happen. it violate as lot of things we think about our country. the practical reality for us to identify homegrown violent extremism and root it out before it takes action, we need the cooperation of muslim communities in this country. >> he went after ted cruz for being soft on national security, calling the iowa front-runner an isolationist. >> he talks tough on some of these issues. he's going to carpet bomb isis. the only budget he's voted for in his time in the senate is a budget that cut defense spending, more than barack obama proposes we cut it. he voted against the defense authorization act. every time he had to choose between strong national defense and isolationists in american politics, he votes isolationist. >> what are we going to get with republicans? >> it would be more aggressive

than what president obama is doing now might not be that different from what hillary clinton said she would do. some of these guys put forward, they do have plans. you might not think they are going to work. they want to set up a no-fly zone, arm the kurds, have forward spotters and special forces embedded with the iraqis near the front lines, which is significant because much higher risk to u.s. personnel being killed or captured by isis in battle. is that likely to completely turn the situation around to crush isis, to do what their emotional hot rhetoric suggests it will? probably not. that is what you would see. it's not that different from what hillary clinton is proposing. particularly with rubio. i don't think there is this stark choice in terms of the approach to isis between rube yoi and hillary clinton. who knows what donald trump would do? ted cruz, i spend a lot of time reading the opinion of

counterterrorism experts, i never heard anyone suggest carpet bombing is a good idea. maybe cruz is the one guy who thinks it will. if you elect cruz, you may get that. hard to tell with him. bush and rubio, the establishment center of the republican party, it's a little more aggressive than obama. >> all this talk about aggression, the minute we have a guy or woman grabbed offer there and tried and on the verge of being beheaded, all bets are off. need to be awful careful. >> wouldn't that lead to popular demand for more intervention? >> bomb the hell out of them at that point. it's dangerous to put ourselves into position when we know we could be brought deeper. you've got to be so careful. thank you. the writer and director of "joy."

what a movie. i've seen it. it's coming out on christmas day. what an appropriate time for a movie that is a wow of an american movie. better than a lot of political stories. academy award winner david o. russell's latest. i think he'll get one for this one, "joy." when a moment spontaneously turns romantic, why pause to take a pill? and why stop what you're doing to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use, is the only daily tablet approved to treat erectile dysfunction so you can be ready anytime the moment is right. plus cialis treats the frustrating urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache.

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in your a room and there is a gun on the table. the only other person in the room is an adversary in commerce. only one of you can prevail. yet you have protected your business and money. do you pick up the gun, joy? >> that's a very strange question. >> there is nothing strange about this question at all. this is money. do you pick up the gun?

>> i pick up the gun. >> welcome back to "hardball." that is a scene from a new movie "joy" opening christmas day starring jennifer lawrence. it's the real-life story of joy mangano who hits it big after inventing the miracle mop. it became a sensation after she insisted on selling it herself on qvc. >> i'm in a meeting with our lawyers. what do you think you're doing? >> go home, joy. watch the numbers roll in on television. make 50,000 mops, borrowing and owing every dollar including your home. >> it could have been handled better. >> i don't want todd or anyone else to try it. it should be me. >> we don't have regular people. we have celebrity and spokesmodels do the selling. i told you this.

>> who showed you the mop? who sold it to you? who taught you how to use it and convinced you it was great after you thought it was worthless? >> excuse me. can you give us a second? come with me. >> the movie's been nominated for two golden globe awards already including best actress for jennifer lawrence and best picture. david o. russell wrote and directed "joy." you've done it again. i never thought you could make one of the great movies of our time about home shopping, about a housewife, about regular life, and with this compelling theme which you've been telling my kids forever. the first answer's always no. go for the second answer. that's what jennifer lawrence does. she's seen pounding away saying i'm going to make the american dream. it's a hell of an american movie, especially for christmas time. judge, thank you, chris. it's a story i found very

inspiring. for me, something that seemed simple and ordinary turns out to be extraordinary. it's a story i've seen strong women behind men, but rarely have seen strong men behind a woman who is the leader. she becomes the leader of a family business that has over a record 100 sitting patents. she created a whole business. her family all works with her. she is loyal and loving to all of them. >> "the fighter," "silver lining playbook," "the hustle." lives that are not simple. they are not "leave it to beaver" or "father knows best," they are always people living in a house that probably shouldn't be living in a house. pandemonium. i was thinking mario puzo spending nine years writing "the godfather" in this crazy place. that seems to be something you're comfortable with and

believe that's more like the audience. it is more complicated and noisy. >> it's about love and loyalty. it doesn't take one shape. one of the reasons i wanted to make the movie, it's the best divorced couple in america. a family life doesn't end after divorce. if the parents can stay best friends as they do in this story, they can have a greater love that's almost in many ways inspiring. the fact her parent, her father and his girlfriend support her endeavor is a major boost from her family. they become adversaries. that happens in many a family business. part of that makes it like a fairy tale. to make yourself arrive where you have to be true to yourself and the magic you once knew and were born with, you have to go through a lot of obstacles and monsters. sometimes those are the people who tried to help you or are right next to you. >> we talk about america and what it stands for on this show. this movie is about that.

here is another scene from the movie. joy prepares to appear on qvc. melissa rivers plays her mother here. >> what? >> this is me. >> this is you? you've got the exact same outfit you had when you came in here. >> i wear a blouse ten i wear pants. that's who i am. i want to go on as me. >> want to go on as you. i hope you make it back. joan, cindy. say good luck to joy. >> wow. you look great. >> good luck today. >> good luck. >> that's how she is. >> she should be in a skirt. she's got nice long legs. show her legs. good luck. >> joan rivers wants me in a skirt but i'm doing pants. >> i'm overwhelmed by jennifer lawrence as an actor. she played all these different parts for you and everything else. every moment seems interesting. bradley is now becoming like a sean connery, this majestic presence that shows up.

he's princely when he arrives. bradley cooper is on stage. it's something oels. you've been with them all along. >> yes. jennifer, we watched her grow up. in "silver lining playbook" she was 20 years old. she was a pure, innocent talent. i've watched her deal with all the responsibilities that come with attention of success and having to stay true to herself and be protective. that's not easy. it's not easy in any business. i watched her become a young woman. bradley made a film with clint eastwood. veterans shake his hand. that made him a man. he lost traces of boyhood. here he plays a man who reminds me of my own father, a salesman surrounded by salesmen who supported their families. it's not a joke. when you're selling things you must be serious and believe in it. he starts this network in

lancaster, pennsylvania. that became sort of a precursor of the internet. he takes a chance on a woman who later becomes in a way more successful than him. i wanted to make a picture with a woman at the center of it and men strong enough to be part of her journey. >> it's a christmas picture. this is a perennial. i think it will be back again and again. a wonderful american movie by david o. russell. thanks for joining us and thanks for the movie. >> thank you. should hillary clinton be worried about a generational gap? younger women don't have the same enthusiasm at many first woman president as their parents' generation.

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welcome back to "hardball." hillary clinton is maintaining a commanding lead over bernie sanders. our new nbc/"wall street journal" poll has her at 56% over sanders' 37%. in the trail, clinton is hammering home she would be the

first woman in the oval office with a 2016 victory. younger women voters may need a nudge to see that. "the new york times" notes, as her chances of becoming the first woman to be nominated by a major political party improve, many women are considering how much gender could or should play into their decisions to embrace mrs. clinton's candidacy or not. good news for clinton today in a head-to-head matchup, she beats donald trump by ten points. edges out surging ted cruz, dr. ben carson with a slight edge over clinton. bad news, her toughest gop challenger has a lot of millennial appeal is ted cruz. heidi, what are the numbers, the data that suggests there is a difference between millennials and boomers?

>> it's strictly generational lines. there is an older woman enthusiasm i call the shoulder pad vote. they were at the forefront of the equal rights movement. they remember the battles and feel strongly about hillary clinton. if every other demographic you see a generational split here in terms of voting for hillary clinton. older voters are more motivated. as the percentage of younger voters who are engaged and patient attention has fallen from the last election. >> an older woman voter, a mother, aunt -- >> or grandmother. >> you missed the boat here. there is no other woman candidate that will get it. if not hillary, there won't be

anybody as a woman president. we fought a long time to get suffrage back in the beginning of the 20th century. equal treatment is a way off. we want to win this. won't there be encouragement by one woman to another or father and daughter? >> one is how they branded her and how important it has become. one of the things she's been successful doing is branding women's rights issues, paid leave, maternity leave. access to health care, affordable childcare. not only women's issues, but economic issues. the other issue for her is this is just a cohort she needs to grab. if you don't have enthusiasm among younger voters, they are not going to turn out to vote like they did for obama. it's a challenge to her brand but getting people out and getting that enthusiasm that has been lacking for her campaign throughout. >> this country has -- you can call it sexism. it's a fact men dominated american politics.

that is a fact they get involved in clubs more. it's changing dramatically. do you think it's normal and healthy less than one in five members of congress is a woman. are we behind women catching up to being a decent percentage of those making the calls? >> we are absolutely behind. if you ask millennials, this is how they see it. they see themselves as more than 50% of the students in college, in graduate school, women. from their perspective, the country has so much more to do in terms of women. this is a group of women who the feminism is the f-word they don't like. they've got facebook, twitter. think about all the social movements we've seen by young women. i am jada, bring back our girls. hillary clinton does not fit that type of dynamic and that feminism where women can pick up a cell phone and start a social

justice movement on their own. i read articles of young women who have gone to events for hillary clinton and had no enthusiasm. they loved huma. >> she was first lady in washington, first lady in washington, and had the guts to run for u.s. senator from new york, which took amazing guts. her critics would have laughed at her if she lost. she did a good job as secretary of state. benghazi's gone for a while. who else has credentials like that? >> this is the issue. the problem is so many younger votes identify her with the controversies instead of that record you rightly explained. i questioned the campaign's lack of reliance on the achievements,

particularly identifying her with the next set of voters who isn't as familiar as all the struggles she's overcome. >> what it will look like if a republican wins, like ted cruz or donald trump and what they'll do to the supreme court. >> one thing she was most impressive was the historic way she got exposed after bill got embarrassing to us. it takes a tricky thing to say he's my husband, i love him, but one of the ways i showed my strength is how i dealt with him. it's true. we got to know her through a lot of tribulation. she showed her strength. the round table is staying with us. the hard part of the show and my favorite. i don't have to do anything but listen and be discerning, like "the apprentice" don't you think? tell me something i don't know. this is "hardball." okay! fun'

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this isn't lactose. it's milk. ♪ a big reminder, tomorrow night i'll be out in las vegas with full coverage of the republican presidential debate. it's going to be a hot one. join me at 7:00 p.m. eastern for "hardball" as we preview the debate. then come back at 11:00 eastern for two hours of reaction and analysis. and we'll be right back.

we're back with the inimitable "hardball" round table. michelle, tell me something i don't know. >> so form night and going forward look for what i believe is going to be the new mantra of the far right, which is that political correctness kills. there has been so much news that's come out in the last day about the fact that the san bernardino terrorists had many postings on facebook and social media declaring her allegiance to jihadists. the obama administration said immigration officials cannot look at your social postings. >> really? >> yeah. >> you're sure of that? >> i'm absolutely positive. >> not only is trump at a high in national polls but our own polling shows that nearly half of republican voters say not only that they think he's a serious candidate but they always thought he was a serious candidate and that's nearly double what it was in june. >> ted cruz is rocketing to the top of republican polls, and it's because -- >> wait a minute. you've got him at 14. the other one's on top. >> iowa he's on top. it's on evangelical support.

evangelicals think he's a fighter on same-sex marriage, he's a fighter on abortion. but he hasn't always been. when he was texas's top courtroom attorney he took a critical pass on stopping the same-sex marriage movement in its infancy. in the lawrence v. texas case anti-sodomy laws. he took a pass. michelle bernard, megan murphy and heidi prez bla. when i return the astounding number post bid donald trump and also be careful what you root for against the guy. you're hardball "hardball" the place for politics.

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let me finish tonight with the astounding number just posted by donald trump. for him to get 41% he needed to fight off all the forces in the republican party who fear his nomination. and we should consider that list. it begins if you wish to put a positive look at it with those who cannot endorse trump's proposals. the wall on the southern border. the banning of people of muslim faith from entering the country. the things he said about women's looks. the things he said that aren't true like that president obama is of foreign extraction and therefore not eligible to sit in the oval office. you can also put on the roster of trump rejectionists the hawks in the republican party, the folks who took us into iraq and forever have handy another country they'd like to invade. trump is shrewd enough to know and feel this country's bitter memory of sending the u.s. army into iraq in 2003, a military campaign that spelled stupidity, arrogance, and ideological overkill. who else is on the anti-trump list? how about those who like hiring

illegal immigrants at cheap wages? how about those who want the trade deal to go through, the one trump is totally opposed, to the one he says will cost american jobs? so if you're going to root against trump winning the republican nomination, be careful who you're rooting for. and that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "all in" with chris hayes starts right now. tonight on "all in" -- >> look at the way he's dealt with the senate. frankly, like a little bit of a maniac. >> donald trump continues to surge as his main competition appeals to conspiracy theorists. >> frank is a patriot. he loves this country. and he is clear-eyed about the incredible threat of radical islamic terrorism. >> tonight the fight on the right ahead of the debate. plus, why billionaires are having a hard time pushing their chosen candidates to the front of the pack. and is there any reason to believe donald trump's doctor's claim the republican front-runner will be the healthiest president ever? >> medicine is not a science. plus, waiting for the jury