Trump takes Louisiana, Kentucky, but loses 2 states to Cruz

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz slowed the momentum of GOP front-runner Donald Trump Saturday, earning a split decision with caucus victories in Kansas and Maine while the New York real estate mogul picked up victories in Louisiana and Kentucky, according to Associated Press projections.

Kansas and Maine were Cruz's fifth and sixth wins of the Republican primary season, easily fending off Trump in both states. Cruz won Maine despite Gov. Paul LePage's endorsement of Trump.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who waged a bitter war of words with Trump in the past two weeks, did not finish higher than third in any state. He placed fourth in Maine, behind Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Neurosurgeon Ben Carson dropped out of the race Friday.

"God bless Kansas; God bless Maine,'' Cruz told supporters in Idaho, as he awaited final results from Maine. "And the scream you hear — the howl you hear from Washington, D.C.— is utter terror for what we the people are doing together. What we’re seeing is conservatives coming together.''

Cruz, vying to solidify his candidacy as the alternative to Trump,  said he arrived in Idaho with "hope and encouragement.''

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"I believe this election will center on three issues: jobs, freedom and security.’’

Trump skipped a scheduled Saturday appearance at a conference of conservatives near Washington, D.C., to push his unsuccessful bid in Kansas, making personal appeals for support at his trademark raucous rallies.

Late Saturday night,Trump thanked the voters in Louisiana and Kentucky and called for Rubio to exit the race so that he could take on Cruz "one on one.''

"There is nothing so exciting as this stuff,'' Trump said in Florida.

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The Kasich campaign, despite finishing no higher than third Saturday, said it was committed to the "long-term.''

"No candidate is currently on track to win the nomination outright,'' said John Weaver, Kasich's chief strategist. "Our campaign is built for the long-term, it is growing in strength and it will ensure Gov. Kasich is the candidate best positioned to arrive in Cleveland and exit as the nominee.''

Rubio also made no suggestion that he would drop out. He campaigned Saturday in Puerto Rico ahead of Sunday's primary there.

The Saturday contests — wedged between Super Tuesday voting earlier in the week and consequential battles later this month in Michigan, Ohio and Florida — did not garner the same hot spotlight, though Kansas voters showed up in force at caucus sites throughout the state.

Kentucky results were later rolling in as Saturday marked the first time a presidential nominee was selected by caucus since 1984.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who bowed out of the Republican race last month, pushed for the change to a caucus that also allowed him to pursue re-election to his Senate seat, a decision that Saturday won decidedly mixed reviews.

Gov. Matt Bevin said the move helped bring early attention to state, where Trump headlined a rowdy gathering in Louisville.

"Look at this – there are lines of people waiting to vote," said Bevin, who declined to say which candidate he voted for. "For everybody who thinks that having a caucus in Kentucky was not a good thing, have you ever seen this kind of enthusiasm for a primary in the state of Kentucky? You never have."

Yet some voters said the Republican party failed to adequately publicize the change, leading to widespread confusion.

“There are so many uninformed Republicans! The Republican Party of KY has done a poor job of informing its voters of this change!'' Kentucky teacher Jamie Michelle Amburgey wrote on the state GOP Facebook page.

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In Louisiana, with 800,000 registered Republicans, the campaign has been shadowed by serious economic troubles as state officials are struggling to reconcile yawning budget deficits that threatened basic public services.

Former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, once among a formerly crowded field of Republican candidates, dropped out of the race in November after gaining little support.

Going into Saturday's voting, Trump led with 329 delegates. Cruz had 231, Rubio 110 and Kasich 25. In all, 155 GOP delegates were at stake in Saturday's races. Cruz won 12 Maine delegates, Trump won 9 and Kasich won 2. In Kansas, Cruz won 24 delegates, Trump won 9 and Rubio won 6.

Contributing: The Louisville Courier-Journal, The Shreveport Times and Associated Press