The Latest: 6,000 Puerto Rico inmates cast primary ballots
Associated Press 6 March 2016
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the 2016 presidential campaign, with contests in Maine and Puerto Rico on Sunday and a Democratic debate in Flint, Michigan (all times Eastern Standard Time):
11:00 a.m.
A voting bloc of prison inmates could play a role in deciding who gets 20 Republican convention delegates from Puerto Rico.
About 6,000 prisoners were allowed to cast absentee ballots on Friday. And with only about 25,000 people expected to show up for Sunday's voting, they could make a difference.
On the U.S. mainland, only Vermont and Maine let inmates vote.
The large share of inmates is partly due to a sharp cutback in the number of general polling places this year, fallout from the island's budget crisis. There are only 110 across the territory, down from 3,226 four years ago, when Mitt Romney swept the delegate table.
The only other people allowed to submit absentee ballots in the territory are members of the military, but party officials said they did not yet know how many of those had been cast.
11 a.m.
A loyalty test for Democrats?
The party's latest presidential debate is set for Sunday night at 8 p.m. in Flint, Michigan, and it runs two hours. That's going to conflict with the 9 p.m. start time of the final episode of public television's "Downton Abbey."
Voters have their choice of presidential candidates — and the choice of deciding which broadcast to watch live and which to record.
10:10 a.m.
The delegate numbers are stacked against Bernie Sanders, but the Vermont senator isn't lacking for confidence in the Democratic presidential race.
Sanders is coming off victories Saturday in Kansas and Nebraska and looking for more in the coming weeks.
He tells ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that "geographically, we are looking good" and that he sees "a path toward victory."
The delegate totals tell a different story.
When you include superdelegates, those party insiders who can choose any candidate, Hillary Clinton now has at least 1,121 delegates, compared with at least 481 for Sanders. It takes 2,383 delegates to win the nomination.
Sanders says: "We're still fairly early in the process."
Sanders and Clinton are debating Sunday night in Flint, Michigan.
10:00 a.m.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus says talk of a brokered convention is premature.
"There's over 1650 delegates, I think, to go.... That's a long way to go, so I think this is premature and we'll wait and see what happens."
But Priebus said if a candidate has the 1,237 delegates needed, "they're going to be the nominee."
He says he's "not going to do anything to prevent someone from getting 1237" but he's "also not going to do things that makes sure somebody gets 1237."
He tells ABC's "This Week" that that's up to the delegates and primary voters.
9:56 a.m.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton says it's "absolutely" good news that a former aide has been granted immunity in the FBI probe of her private email server.
She tells CBS' "Face the Nation" that staffer Bryan Pagliano is cooperating and that means "we're getting closer and closer to wrapping this up."
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the Justice Department has granted immunity to Pagliano so that he would be willing to speak with investigators.
A year ago, The Associated Press reported the Justice Department's discovery of Clinton's private email server, which she ran in the basement of her home in Chappaqua, New York, to use exclusively for her work-related emails while she was secretary of state.
The FBI for months has investigated whether sensitive information that flowed through Clinton's email server was mishandled. The State Department has acknowledged that some emails included classified information, including at the top-secret level, though Clinton has said she never sent or received anything that was marked classified at the time.
9:46 a.m.
A onetime Republican presidential hopeful who hasn't always had kind words for Ted Cruz says it's clear that the Texas senator has emerged as the best chance to derail Donald Trump's path to the nomination.
Lindsey Graham says Cruz "has made the best case thus far that he can be the alternative to Trump."
The South Carolina senator tells NBC's "Meet that Press" that the GOP should unite before Ohio and Florida vote on March 15 and make sure the party has a candidate who can beat Trump in those states and afterward.
He says that candidate seems to be Cruz right now.
9:18 a.m.
In case there was any doubt, Mitt Romney says he "can't imagine" endorsing Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee.
The 2012 GOP presidential candidate says Trump, "is not a Republican in any sense of the word" and has "taken this campaign into a very deep gutter."
Romney spoke to CNN's "State of the Union" in an interview broadcast Sunday.
The former Massachusetts governor's comments came after strongly criticizing Trump in a speech Thursday at the University of Utah as dangerous and phony. Trump that night had a difficult debate in which he made a crude sexual joke and was the target of multiple attacks from rivals Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
Romney says he's not endorsing any candidate now, but might after March 15 when voters in some candidates' delegate-rich home states go to the polls. Rubio, who is from Florida, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich have said they'll stay in the race at least through that days' votes.
9:05 a.m.
A look at the delegate race in the 2016 presidential race.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton's substantial margin of victory in Louisiana withstood Bernie Sanders' wins in Kansas and Nebraska.
When you include superdelegates — party insiders who can choose any candidate — Clinton now has at least 1,121 delegates, compared with at least 481 for Sanders. It takes 2,383 delegates to win the nomination.
For Republicans, Ted Cruz is making a small dent in Donald Trump's delegate lead after Saturday's contests.
Trump has 378 delegates and Cruz has 295. Marco Rubio has 123 delegates and John Kasich has 34. It takes 1,237 delegates to win the Republican nomination for president.
Two more contests Sunday: Puerto Rico's Republican primary and Maine's Democratic caucuses.
8:35 a.m.
What are the presidential candidates up to on Sunday?
The Republicans will be watching for results from the primary in Puerto Rico. The Democrats are holding a prime-time debate in Flint, Michigan, and keeping an eye on Maine's caucuses.
On the GOP side, Ohio Gov. John Kasich is set to campaign in Columbus with former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and then hold an evening event in Toledo. Ohio votes on March 15 and it's a state that Kasich says he has to win.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has events in Idaho — rallies in Idaho Falls and Boise — ahead of the state's primary on Tuesday.
Look for Democrats Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton on television at their debate at 9 p.m. The Michigan primary is Tuesday.
8:25 a.m.
Front-runner Donald Trump is stepping up the pressure on Republican presidential rival Marco Rubio to quit the race.
Trump triumphed in Louisiana and Kentucky on Saturday and is retaining his delegate lead in the chase for the nomination.
Rubio was shut out in Saturday's contests and is setting his sights on winning his home state of Florida, which holds its primary on March 15.
The GOP campaign tally so far: 12 wins for Trump; six for Cruz and one for Rubio.
Trump is saying "Marco has to get out of the race. Has to" and that the Florida senator had "a very, very bad night."
Rubio's campaign is rejecting Trump's call and pledging to continue attacking Trump's business record and conservative credentials.
7:50 a.m.
The busy weekend in the 2016 presidential race continues with two more contests Sunday and a Democratic debate.
Republicans in Puerto Rico are voting in the party primary. Democrats in Maine are holding their caucuses. And Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are taking the debate stage on Sunday night in Flint, Michigan.
Saturday's results: Wins for Republican front-runner Donald Trump in Louisiana and Kentucky, and for rival Ted Cruz in Maine and Kansas. Marco Rubio was shut out and is pinning his hopes on winning his home state of Florida on March 15.
Sanders took Kansas and Nebraska, and Clinton prevailed in Louisiana.
There was no serious erosion in the delegate lead for either Trump or Clinton.
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This story has been corrected to reflect that the Democratic debate starts at 8 p.m., not 9 p.m.
The Latest: 6,000 Puerto Rico Inmates Cast Primary Ballots - ABC News
