it hasn't been enough to close the deal for him. he has to show he wants it. >> he has speaking skills. not necessarily debates skills. he has to take somebody on. >> the new hampshire moment is still haunting him. >> that's right. >> thank you all, beth, mike and mike. i've heard of a show called mike and mike. we'll be back tomorrow with more "mtp daily," but "with all due respect" will start right now. i'm al hunt. >> and i'm mark halperin, "with all due respect" to donald trump, are you boared of winnin now. >> we're winning, winning, winning, the country. and soon, the country is going to start winning, winning, winning. >> okay, just to be clear, though, we are never bored of donald j trump. howdy from houston, where

they'll debate tomorrow night. donald trump is the man to beat. last night in nevada, trump won 45% of the caucus voteds, marco rubio was second, with 24%, cruz had 21%. trump won in every demographic, except young voters. today in virginia beach, his victory lap took the form of a q and a with pat robert son where he mused openly about his running mate possibilities, ted cruz and the democrats. >> bernie is heading down. it looks like he's over. hillary will be protected from the e-mail scandal. as i promise you, it will be discussed, often, often, often. if you look at justice roberts, he could have killed obama care twice. senator cruz pushed him. he most wanted him. what are the most important qualities you're going to look for in a vice-president den -

>> political, because i want to get lots of great legislation we all want passed, sitting there for years and years and years. things sitting there that would be so good. >> that session, trump also la meant mented. al hunt, sitting in formal mal who -- for mark halperin. >> huge. as he might say, mark, i can't think of any presidential candidate who has won three big ones like this. and not gone on to win the nomination. i don't think it's over yet, but mitt romney one three and a half, i think they say out of five. gerry ford won a lot. a strong front-runner. >> three different regions of the country, different types of electorates, and he won not

narrowly and he won with people knowing full well, he was a dominating force. for whatever reason, they didn't go after him. he was the leader, and held up the leads in all three places. >> he sure did. you have to say that his negative res ma negatives remain as high as ever. i want to tell you something, that floor is impressive right now. >> yeah, and as people keep saying, if jeb bush or marco rubio or one of the other candidates had a record of achieving these three straight wins after second in iowa, people would be saying the race is over and they would be talking about a cabinet and running mate and all of that. >> i agree. >> so as al said, it is not over. spring eternal, marco rubio runner up took it to the today program on nbc this morning to argue that he is the only one who could now stop trump and it would be nice if some of the other guys got out of the race.

>> the vast majority of republicans do not want donald trump to be our nominee. that's evidenced by the fact that your own poll showed that if it came down to me and donald trump, i would beat him by almost 16 points. what we have now is a dynamic, four people running, dividing up the non-trump vote, you're going to get results like what you saw last night. the sooner we can get the race narrowed down, it will be easier to stop donald trump. >> so al, you wrote about this today for your column for bloomberg view. what is it? >> first of all, not a very wide one, mark. let's that i can that clear to start with. next tuesday, on march 1, it would be nice if he could win one of those 12 contests. he himself has suggested he may not. he certainly has got to finish a strong second, and a number, he has to come out ahead of ted cruz and a delegate count that day, and not that far behind donald trump, and then, it's win or take all, two weeks later, florida, on march 15th, if marco

wins that, he could be in for a while. if he loses, it's gone. go home. rev up the buses. >> if that happens, a lot of pressure on ted cruz to get out of the race, which rubio obviously wants. if two weeks later, when texas and florida or rather ohio and florida vote, if cruz -- if rubio can somehow win his state and john kasich loses ohio, that could win in the field then. he would are to hold on to that point. if he is the only one, he could survive. if you look at the public polling, he is in the worst shape in his home state. that's why people in the establishment say he is the most likely, are wrong, because it starts with winning your home state and he is the least likely too do it at this point. >> mark, i actually think it would be bad for him if ted cruz dropped out right now, because most of those cruz votes, more would go to trump than rubio. he wants to keep him alive for a while. >> yeah, we'll talk more about

that as we go forward. third place was ted cruz, who got the nod at a press conference, governor of texas, greg abbott. he compared the race and the donald with something we know a little bit here. a circus, sundays, 8:00 p.m. on show time. >> we can't be fooled by pt barnam. the time for the clowns and the acrobats and the dancing bears has passed. now, is a time for texans to stand together. >> cruz talked this afternoon about how happy he is to be home here in texas, but texas may not be the saving grace that cruz needs, here in a new poll out

today, cruz and trump are basically tied. its a poll from emerson college and shows cruz at 29% and trump at 28%. so al, you said before, something that is not everyone would agree with, but i want you to talk more about it in terms of cruz and rubio. what is cruz' path to victory and is it good for him if he stays in the race, or does he not have the same situation, from your point of view, it would be if cruz stays in the race for rubio. >> i think it's a little different, although, i think again, they want to boast if you want to be trump. here is the cruz path to victory. it is even harder than rubio's perhaps. he has to win texas, but he can't win it by 29-28. he has to take home 100 del greats. -- delegates. he take all of the delegates. he has to win over 50%, over one dozen of the delegates. he has to do well on the others.

just the corollacorollary of on other. come out of super tuesday, delegate wise, about even with trump. tall order. >> yep, i agree. the way he does that is to use the vaunted targeted operation that this campaign has, more sophisticated that i think some of the others figure out where can he win delegates district by district throughout the south. he has invested a lot in the south. he needs to come out of super tuesday where people are no longer saying is he a dead man walking, rather the strongest, to stop trump. >> third person often left out of the narrative but should not be, ohio governor john kasich. he did not compete much in nevada and got fewer votes than dr. ben carson. he was in gulfport, mississippi, dispelg the fiction that he is

getting out of the contest. >> no, i'm staying in, because at the end of the day, i'm going to accumulate enough delegates to win. that's what's going to happen. we're going to go through tuesday, we're going to come down here, and you know, we're going to perform well enough to continue, and i think we're going to have some strong performances next tuesday. and then, you know, at some point, we head north to places like michigan, illinois, a little state, ohio. >> in the wake of last night, team kasich sent out a stream of memos and tweets today about marco rubio, claiming he did not meet the expectations in nevada, and arguing that putting money behind the senator now would be a bad investment. al, what is kasich's narrow path to the nomination at this point? >> you have to tip-toe on this one, mark. he has to do well in a few southern places, not very many. he has to look to new england, and score an up set over trump

in either massachusetts, which will be hard or vermont. you may laugh about vermont, but that could be very important for john kasich. i think he'll be back there before tuesday. and the reason is, he wants to have a sense that he is still alive, going into michigan a week later, where he goes head to head with trump, and if he is really competitive and gets in a position to win and his win or take all a week later, john kasich will be around for a while. >> i think kasich needs more establishment and media endorsement credibility. he is left out. all of the other candidates basically saying it's a three person race. he needs to change the narrative and change it to a four person race. i agree. doing better in the south than people think. picking up vermont or he keeping it close in march chssachusetts. if you were going to bet on one of these guys, you would bet on cruz or kasich. the other thing is, quinnipiac poll showed he has got to start making the electability

argument. al, finally, anybody else in the race, which would mean ben carson or anyone else not in the race who could end up as the nominee. >> ben carson is an easy no. it's a real reach for anyone else, only if you have deadlock convention, which means three candidates have to be going into may. that's unlikely. if that happens, trump down to 40%, con conceivably, they'll have to turn to someone else. i can't wait to cover it. >> i agree. given trump's success and the number of delegates, he is likely to wrack up in march, he'll get the trajectory. that's the magic number. any chance that the delegates have to say you know what, it's not going to be trump, it's to hold him under 40%. that would require more people staying in the race. i don't think you can stop trump if it's a one-on-one race. so the establishment does have

that little hiccup in the strategy. if you clear the field, maybe it works. but maybe by the time you clear the field, trump has run away with the thing. >> i totally agree. i think the establishment has been wrong throughout. they're wrong on this one. you have to keep a bunch of people in this race. and even then, it's uphill. particularly if trump comes out on next tuesday with say 300 more delegates. >> al, just talking a couple of sentences about this provocative point you're making, why it's so good for rubio if cruz stays in. >> because i think the cruz vote will more likely go to trump than rubio right now. particularly in the southern states. in the whole purpose to somehow stop donald trump from getting it close to 50 or exceeding 40, you can't let him pick up more delegates in alabama, georgia and louisiana, and kansas and some of those states after. >> and only cruz can do that? >> i think so. >> okay. up next, we dig deep into the

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three consecutive trump victories have sent some members of the establishment into a tissy. a few feeling dizziness, others to cope with the shock and realization that donald trump could become their nominee very soon, many members of the republican establishment did what they do best. they went on television. >> it appears after tonight that mr. trump has win beneath his wings, and i think that he'll probably be our nominee. the american public is upset with the establishment, and they have spoken, and it's been pretty loud and clear that they want something different, and they have chosen mr. trump. and we need to support the guy that the people support. >> he has been out there telling everybody he is mad as hell. he is mad at washington.

for those that got here a year ago, we ran on the same platform. >> obviously donald trump is doing well. there is 65% of all the delegates coming right now in march, and we're going to have to wait and see. >> we're in great shape to win in november, but yeah, we have drama. some intrigue going on in the party, but intrigue going on the other side too. that's what primaries are. >> this afternoon, mitt romney went on fox news and said that there is, quote, no question that donald trump has the cl clearest path to become the nominee. he received his first endorsement today, duncan hunter and another from chris collins. all right, al, if trump sweeps or comes close to sweeping on super tuesday, what does the republican establishment do next in. >> drink heavily. i want the bourbon for the republican club, you know, for next tuesday and wednesday. look, what they're doing now is they're sort of a

rationalezation going on. maybe he won't be that bad, maybe he'll do well, bring from some democrats, and we can deal with him because he doesn't believe in a whole lot. there are other members of the establishment that say wait a minute, issues that are really important to us like trade, and he is totally changed the whole agenda on trade. so i think it's kind of half hopeful and half petrified. >> some republicans worried about, if he does become the de facto, some are worried you could have one or both of the following types of people run. conservative who say trump is too liberal and then a more chamber of commerce type, retired senator or governor, basically three candidates in the race, and then ensure hillary clinton would become the president. probably could ensure bernie sanders would become the next nominee. still in denial for the most part and again, tomorrowing to

terms how to deal with him. some are saying maybe it won't be too bad. for the pure establishment types, that won't be the dominant view if he seals it up in the next few weeks. >> i agree with you. they're really worried. they don't trust donald trump. they don't think he is a real republican. and they do worry about some of these issues that he has raised here in the campaign, deportation, as i mentioned earlier, trade. but you know something, they're helpless to do a thing about it. they've been totally, totally inept throughout and they're going to remain so. they could wring their hands and drink. >> how much do you will he reach out to the establishment if he locks it up? >> he'll do some, because he will feel it's on his terms, that they have to come to him as opposed to trump going to them. we'll see how smart a politician he is in doing that. >> i predict he'll do a lot of it behind the scenes. up next, talk about a former

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the bad news, federal judge has now ruled the top aids have to testify on the use of the private e-mail server. judge set a procedural deadline for this spring that could complicate clinton's life big time. so al, with trump appearing to be cruising to his nomination, e-mail developments such as this rattle democratic elites who they would like her to sew it up early. >> with all due respect to the senate minority leader, the bad news is more important. this a festering sore that won't go away. i talk to people who seem to have a lot of expertise, like david ignatius. they say it's highly unlikely they can brirng action against her, but it just keeps going. it really hurts her, because she has a trust problem to begin with. so i think democrats who are feeling pretty good a couple of days ago, they think trump is a weaker candidate, they look at polls, but this is something

that really, really does rattle them. >> yeah, i mean, again, it operates on two levels. if not for an indictment, maybe an interview, secretary submits to the fbi. symbolic, and inability that she has right now it seems with some voters to get over the question of whether she tells the truth, whether she is trustworthy. i do believe that the democratic elites have basically made their peace with it. it's baked in for them. it's like some of bill clinton's scandals and willing to support him. they know full well there could be a worst case on the e-mail stuff and they'll have to deal with it. >> yeah, they have mark. because you know what, they have no choice. there really is no other option. so they have taken the choice, but they are worried. >> yeah. the other thing i would say about the e-mail thing is you've got all these federal judges, these cases have not been consolidated, and as you know

well, al, the judges in district court in d.c., if it ever gets to the court of appeals, a lot of independent people there. the judge ruled is someone nominated i believe by hillary clinton's husband to the bench. a lot of the judges are wildcards in this. nothing brooklyn can do to control what they do. all right, today in scotus watch, senate republicans, kelly out of new hampshire and rob portman out of ohio, up for reelection, said they will not meet with whoever barack obama nominates. chuck grassley, ignored an invitation from the white house to talk to them about a possible nominee. i can't imagine what president obama will think of all this news. >> the constitution says that i nominate candidates for the supreme court when there is a vacancy, and that the senate exercises its constitutional role in advising and consent. i'm going to do my job.

>> so here is the first trial balloon or something intriguing on its own merits. "washington post" reporting brian sandoval, a former judge, being vetted to possibly fill the slot. al, can the republican leader, mitch mcconnell, hold the line on his early stated position that they'll be no hearing for whoever the president nominates? >> mark, he probably has to. it's a safe assumption there will be no justice confirmed before the novi electiember ele. sandoval is too cute by a hat. but if obama nominates someone who is clearly qualified, has been confirmed by the senate, supported by republicans, i think it's a political loser for the republicans. i'm not sure mcconnell has any other choice, but the sense of fairness of americans, gosh, you're not even going to give the person a hearing, will go to the democratic's advantage, but there won't be a confirmation

vote before november. >> i usually have strong feelings about how these will go. i think it's possible if he picks sandoval, they'll have to have a hearing. he is somewhat moderate, conservative on some issues, hispanic, popular figure, in a swing state. i think that there would be people who would break rank lgs if he were the nominee. i do wonder, though, how liberal and progressive groups would feel about the president nominating a republican for a a seat after they got him ree reelect reelected. >> logic dictates you're right on this, but i think the right wing base would not be happy with even sandoval. this is something that they really, really care deeply about. >> yeah. i do wonder, all credit to "washington post" for having the story, which i assume was true, i wonder if it was a trial balloon, or potential nominees get floated, even though the president has no intention of

nominating the person to kind of whirl the waters a little and see what the reaction is. it would be a fascinating pick. a lot of people think the governor would like to go back on the federal bench at some point. it's possible he would take it. i do believe that i can't really think of another example that would put as much pressure on mitch mcconnell if sandoval said i want to be a supreme court justice and made the case, i think it would put a lot of pressure on him. i agree, having dug in the way he has, it would be hard to change now. >> yeah, he is clearly put out the word he is interested. he met with harry reid. i would be very surprised if he won't take it. but i think i would be surprised if obama offered it. >> okay. al, stand by. coming up, twinklers, john pedorit, and john davis, they're not killers. they're really nice guys. right after this. is an ibs-d treatment that helps relieve your diarrhea and abdominal pain symptoms. do not use xifaxan if you have a history of

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our next guest is two

qualities that are essential to be considered a relevant conservative in 2016. writes regularly for the new york post and pretty funny and prolific. commentary joins us from our new york studios. is it possible in your mind, is it possible that if donald trump were president, he would be a good or great president. >> no, it's not possible. >> because. >> a man of his extraordinarily flawed character and lack of principle and scruple, and a general set of foreign policy conviction, trade wars, and all sorts of horribles i can't even imagine suggest he would be nothing less than a disaster. >> mitt romney floated today on fox, the notion that we should see donald trump's tax returns, a potential bombshell in there.

is that line of attack or that line of inquiry something you think could she him down or stop him. >> first of all, you have to give him credit. it's hilarious. one of the best trolls of the year. the guy who spent months getting attacked by harry reid for not releasing his tax returns gets to turn his fire on trump. that's pretty great. what's more, there is some merits to the charge. trump hasn't released his tax returns. he claims to be worth $10 billion. we would learn the truth of that and learn what sorts of money he lost, how much he gives to charity, which i believe to be negligible, based on what can tell from his public record. and would in general i think, you know, could potentially pop all sorts of balloons in his own narrative about himself and his wild success. >> all right, so john, let's say you were invited on a conference call with john kasich, marco

rubio and ted cruz, and they said john, we'll do whatever you say to stop donald trump. what would you ask each of them to do? >> well, they have to disrupt the trajectory, right. that's basically the story of the next week to two to three weeks, which is that if the path is not disrupted, you know, it's a straight line to the nomination for trump. the polls suggest that. he is winning in all these states. he is winning even in kasich's home state of ohio. so the point is you've got to knock him on his -- knock him on his heels. attack him the way he attacks you. question his character and integrity and see what on earth he does with such attack, and i think it's fine to go after him on policy, but laerjly if you go after him on policy, he'll call you ugly or say something is wrong with you, or question your, you know, how much you sweat, or you know, how you need

a face lift, or you know, any -- anything that he can do to go admom anyoa -- if he loses, but they did well and they did okay, all that, then the trajectory is not disrupted. >> what do you think of the practice of ted cruz and marco rubio of not finishing first in south carolina, and then last night, and going out and giving speeches that seem to amount to basically victory speeches. >> i think it's fine as a matter of spin. i think it's actually worked for rubio, both in iowa and in south carolina. for him to sound positive, that he is going forward, he feels, you know, empowered and thrilled by the results, and that he defeated expectations and all of that. that his followers, where things are going for the future.

it doesn't work quite as well for cruz, because he is is not as good a communicator as rubio. there are 12 primaries on tuesday. nobody will be able to claim victory if trump wins 11 or 12. you're not going to be in a position that i'm the guy, you know. so that's why it's a kind of dramatic moment tomorrow night, and indeed, over the next six days, you know. you can't just let him dominate the news. you have to do something dramatic. >> republicans generally have given one of two answers would they support trump as the nominee. they say either lead republicans, well, he is not going to be the nominee or i'll support whoever the republican nominee is. if he sweeps on super tuesday, and it looks like he'll be the nominee, should republicans give that answer or explore the prospects of running someone else so they don't have to vote

for bernie sanders, hillary clinton or donald trump. >> i don't know. something organic is going to happen. you're seeing these outlier congressmen endorsing trump today. you'll see if he wins 12 states, you'll see people trying to get on his good side. people in a hail mary situation, in which he wins the presidency, which seems unlikely, although i thought it was unlikely he would be in the position he is in now, but nonetheless, they would be in favor with him, and see other public officials trying to make their peace with him. i don't know whether or not there is a hail mary play, mitt romney, write $100 million checks to get himself in the game late. but even if one could, there is no reason to think that the story line of trump getting increasingly acceptable to the republican electorate would be interrupted. >> okay.

america, do yourself a favor, follow john on twitter. >> you'll thank me later. fill up your day if a pleasant way. thanks very much. >> thanks, mark. >> former congressman davis speaking for multitudes. you're watching us in washington, you can listen on bloomberg 99.1. we'll be right back. (patrick 1) what's it like to be the boss of you? (patrick 2) pretty great. (patrick 1) how about a 10% raise? (patrick 2) how about 20? (patrick 1) how about done? (patrick 2) that's the kind of control i like... ...and that's what they give me at national car rental. i can choose any car in the aisle i want- without having to ask anyone. who better to be the boss of you... (patrick 1)than me. i mean, you...us. (vo) go national. go like a pro.

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joining us now is former congressman tom davis of virginia's 11th district, big e on his sweater, for establishment and expertise, few have as much as tom does on particularly republican politics. tom, right now, do you think donald trump has it wrapped up? >> he doesn't have it wrapped up but on the way. he has to win delegates, and march 1st is looking pretty good. and the 15th of march, it's win or take all. if he is not stopped by then, it could be very difficult. >> what should the anti-trump fax be doing right now. >> this is all front ended for the deep red states. you don't get to some of the states, new york, new jersey, connecticut until later in the cycle. it's more conservative front

ended. if you can stay in long enough, you may have a shot, but the way he is rolling right now, you know, march 1st, 15th, he could wrap it up. maybe they stop him. >> so we discussed this earlier in the program. would it be better for a couple to get out and just have one person take him on now? >> i don't think so. for a couple of reasons. number one, in ohio, if kasich got out, rubio doesn't win ohio. that's 66 delegates. you need him in there. they need to divide up the pie a little bit. you take these states, we won't campaign here. >> so on march 15th, rubio obviously takes florida, kasich takes ohio and cruz if he is still in goes to missouri. >> exactly. that's -- they're going to have to do a little bit of that. here is the problem. you don't have to out run the bear, you have it to out run the friend. they're trying to out run the other guy. so 96% of these ads have been against the more establishment candidates and cruz. not against trump.

they've been going after each other. and trump is just come up at this point and put himself in a very strong position. >> marco rubio is basically played nice with him. john kasich said he is not going negative. it didn't work against donald trump, does it? >> at this point, it certainly hasn't worked. you have to go right up against him. they were under the illusion that he would fall on his own. he was untested, he would say and make some contro investorial comments, and we've seen that hasn't happened. >> how would you advise him to go after him if they asked you. >> his record. right at his record and the fact that he has been all over the place and go right for the kind of -- the jugular in terms of his bankruptcies and everything else. you have to go after it. he'll have some people cling to him and saying the establishment is going after our guy. he has not been well vetted. every business deal he has ever had, everybody he has put out of a job, when he closes casinos

and the like, they're going to be on tv telling their story. >> we'll learn what the term eminent domain means. >> right. >> tom, if he does win the nomination can he make peace with the establishment, or rather, can the establishment make peace with him? >> absolutely. i mean, at this point, it's, you got two parties. you not only have the presidency at stake, you have the supreme court on the line. so i think the most republicans will rally behind trump. as we've seen, he is flexible when he needs to get things done. >> to back up for a second, your state of virginia, which you have knowledge, first for the primary, trump, big favorite? he'll do well in the i 81 corridor, the western part of the state. >> that's also march 1. >> that's also, proportional though. >> yes. >> kasich has some strong

pockets of support in northern virginia and tiedwater, rubio has people behind him. cruz has what i would call the party establishment, conservative, social conservatives with him. a hodgepodge. proportional voting. trump may or may not win. he doesn't walk over with the mother lode. >> how would he do in a jen wral election in virginia. >> tough. my old area, 30% of the vote, and trump's comments on muslims, his comments on hispanics, prince william counties, fairfax, chock-full of immigrants. >> it's a very multi ethnic population. and that's what he has to overcome at this point. now, is it doable, you never know. people can get behind you. he is a rock star when he comes in there, but northern virginia is pretty sophisticated voters, and trump appeals to more of the

non-college. fairfax is one of the most educated counties in the state. he may do better than most republicans in the i-81 corridor, coming down the western part of the state. it's tough. he is running against hillary clinton, and she has her own set of problems. >> it will be fear and loathing. >> race to the bottom. more negative ads, people holding their nose when they go in, but it counts the same. hillary clinton generationally, do you bring the sanders people, motivate the obama people, is trump enough to motivate to get out. he has brought in a whole lot of people in thhaven't participate before. >> do they do it on his terms, and are there any issues. >> trade issue is really worries the establishment, where he has been on trade, and yet that's one of his signature issues at

this point. but i think he wants to be president. he is a businessman. he knows how to negotiate. you close behind him and negotiate afterwards to some extent. >> jumping way, way ahead. but give me a sense of some people you would recommend as his running mate. >> rubio would be a good choice, right off the bad. he is hispanic. from florida, which is a critical state. he has got to carry ohio and florida. so kasich and rubio are good people. he is not nominated yet. >> right. i'm jumping ahead. >> you have three other candidates in there at this point. but kasich and rubio, i think would be a very, very strong for vp, if they would take it. >> tom davis, we'll add e for the -- two reporters who know them well, after this. 80% of women say a healthy lifestyle is a priority.

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take a look at the upcoming calendar and map, and you'll see a couple of states that donald trump is not guaranteed to win, maybe. texas, the home state to senator ted cruz, and ohio, home to ohio governor john kasich. johning us now, two reporters that cover those states and the men that represent them. abbey livingston, and darrell roland of the columbus dispatch from columbus. thank you, both for joining us. >> thanks for having me. >> the candidates we are talking about here have been left out a little bit. ted cruz a dead man walking, a lot of journalists leave john kasich out of the mix here, surprising to me. so darrell, let me start with you. what is your sense whether john kasich needs to do more to fight his way back in the conversation

or just the strategy of doing well in mitch back and ohio is enough. >> he certainly needs to do more. a certain frustration i think with the kasich campaign. because things have kind of gone how they predicted. they were never predicting they were going to do well in those states immediately after new hampshire, where it got second place finish of course, in south carolina, in nevada. but i think it's crucial, he has to win quote-unquote his share of delegates, as he said today in mississippi. of the super tuesday, sec primary on march 1st, this coming tuesday. otherwise, he risks being irrelevant. i don't know how you go through all these states and saying, you know, reporters gave me for iowa, south carolina, we're not -- people are not going to give hmmim a mulligan for a doz states. >> how do you think he is personally handling that? does he seem to be rattled or unnerved by what's happened?

>> i mean, i think we saw this earlier this weekend, this week with his campaign firing, clearly the campaign is feeling some of the trouble that they're having. that said, they're turning their home state. this is texas, the native son. leading in the polls, but he has got to run up the delegate count here. donald trump has got a head wind of momentum. so we don't know how well ted cruz is going to do here. >> yeah, darrell, back in ohio, where john kasich has been pretty popular, we've seen mixed poll results. sometimes up until recently, he was ahead. the quinnipiac showed him not being ahead of donald trump. what is your sense of when we get to ohio. is it solid or could he lose the state to trump. >> quinnipiac out yesterday, trump was ahead by five points. it was like 31-26. i think he could easily make up, i mean, obviously comes to ground game, the establishment here in ohio. i think kasich can easily take it. but i think perhaps more

important, then, if he has to stay at home to defend the home turf, that's going to keep him away from other win or take all states, illinois, missouri, which he counted on doing well. if he is to ever turn the corner. >> abbey, here in texas, we talked earlier about how the governor, governor abbott came out for senator cruz, he has rick perry as well. does he seem to have the state well wired, or does he need to worry about losing the state to trump? >> we don't see it now, but certainly consultants are watching the polling. statewide matter, but also it is broken down by congressional district. they've told me state legislature in the congressional districts, ted cruz was doing great weeks ago. donald trump came in second. marco rubio was a distant third. they are closely watching this. no one is seeing any movement where donald trump has moved ahead, but certainly looking for it. so he has got it wired. i would also add that the donor class is probably drifting from

jeb to marco rubio. but we will start to see that incoming sec reports. >> abbey, staying with you, the question of ted cruz and how he is doing over all, do you have a sense of what the campaign believes what wrong in south carolina, why he didn't finish as strongly there as they hoped and planned? >> i can just tell you what i have been watching. the county i was watching more than any other was greenville. ted cruz went there more than any other city except des moines iowa. and so donald trump beat him there, and so i just think the evangelicals went with donald trump. it went by much, but enough to just really keep ted cruz from doing well there as opposed to elsewhere. >> right. darrell, a long time watcher of your governor, does it -- he said something yesterday, i don't know if my purpose to be president, if i lose, i got a great job, i love my family. do you get the sense he wants

this more now than when he first got in, or he is still exhibits what he truly feels, which a classic john kasich, kay syrah syrah. >> you know him yeah, what i saw kasich's remarks yesterday, and very inartfully said, i know some of those women who quote-unquote came out of the kitchen to support him. you know, he is -- he has talked about this zen, he is kind of achieved throughout the town hall process in new hampshire, where he has gotten comfortable with his own skin. we don't see him making these wild remarks, frankly, that has characterized his political career here in ohio. he said today in gulf most, mississippi, if it's not me, trump is the nominee. he points to both national polls and a later poll in ohio, showing he is the only one who beats both democrats. >> all right. abbey, if ted cruz has one thing going for him, to come back here, do you think it's under

commented on, what would it be? >> i would just say that we need to remember his 2012 campaign. he was the under dog. he was under funded compared to a self-funding millionaire, and he knows the state well. it comes down to donald trump's momentum and whether he can take it away from ted cruz. >> okay, abbey livingston and darrell roland, thanks to you both. we'll be right back. >> thank you. >> who won the day.

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al, in conclusion, who won the day. >> i wanted to surprise you and say something like jim gilmore, but i can't. it was, as been the case of many days, it was the donald. >> yeah, those two congressional endorsements are good for him, it changes the narrative and boosts his prospects. another strong conversational performance. nobody came back and able to cast his win as anybody but huge. >> yeah.

>> if you go to bloomberg politics right now, you have to read our deep dive into donald trump's global deals and business partners overseas, thanks for watching. we'll see you tomorrow from houston. sayonara. tomorrow night with bernie, let's play "hardball." good evening, i'm chris mathews back in washington. that reference i made to bernie, that's at the university of chicago, the whole hour, starting at 8:00 tomorrow night, the college tour, which we've always loved. he'll be leading the way. five days before super tuesday, we'll be at the university of chicago with senator bernie sanders. meanwhile, last night in nevada, donald trump scored a big win, of course, with record turnout in that state. trump got 46% of the vote. his biggest percentage so