{UAH} GOP establishment rallies behind Rubio

With the GOP hierarchy warming to Rubio, the squeeze is suddenly on struggling establishment contenders Chris Christie, John Kasich and Bush, who must convince party higher-ups that they have a reason to continue on. 

After getting crushed in the Iowa caucuses, Bush suffered another blow on Tuesday, when South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott announced that he was endorsing Rubio. While some Bush aides said they were not particularly surprised by Scott's decision, they acknowledged disappointment. The Bush campaign had aggressively courted Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate and a key elected official in an early primary state. Bush himself had personally appealed to Scott for his support, one Bush aide said.

Two Bush aides, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said there was growing concern that Rubio was on the verge of getting a wave of endorsements from senators, state party chairs and influential party officials and donors — a scenario, they conceded, that would give Rubio an aura of invincibility in the fight for support in the establishment lane. 

For Bush to remain viable, they said, he would need to outperform Rubio in New Hampshire, a state that the former Florida governor has made a cornerstone of his primary campaign. Many top GOP officials see the state as the last, best chance for Rubio's establishment rivals to stop him.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/marco-rubio-gop-establishment-new-hampshire-2016-218641

Sincerely,

Brian M. Kwesiga