Dobs

I have a lot of respect for that.

I worry that this type of game would be so niche as to not even have a cottage industry to support it. Political gaming is an underserved but rabid fan base, so AMPU was, in my view, a home run of a market satisfier. I wonder what market this would satisfy?

State of the Race Post-Super Saturday + Super 2sday Another has week passed, and another 9 Presidential contests have been held. The results have been mixed, to say the least. Ted Cruz has expanded his delegate lead by 10 delegates, but Fiorina has cut into his popular vote lead by 100,000 votes and 2 points. Cruz's lead at this time can best be described as tenuous, his 100-delegate margin harmed by overperformances from Ben Carson across the 3 southern states which voted in the past week. Carson notched shocking wins in Kentucky and Louisiana on Saturday, while Cruz clawed back a too-close-for-comfort victory in Mississippi. With only two southern states left to cast ballots, North Carolina and Florida, the Cruz campaign will need to keep strong forward momentum in the West and Midwest in order to retain its status as the frontrunner. There is evidence of this, with Cruz carrying his bread and butter demographic by scoring a commanding victory in Idaho and a decisive win in Kansas. Meanwhile, the Carson campaign is under intense scrutiny from movement conservatives who have all but unified around Cruz, claiming that Carson's overtly religious message, while clearly resonant with culturally conservative voters, is undercutting Cruz and will put the two campaigns in peril in the coming Northern and Western primary states. Carson, for his part, denies that "any time you talk about God, it can lead to bad things." While Senator Cruz has stopped short of calling for the retired neurosurgeon's exit, his media surrogates have not extended that courtesy. Meanwhile, the Fiorina camp seems to have reason to celebrate. While they have lost ground in the delegate game, a strong performance in Michigan has proven the former CEO's ability to win big states, particularly those in the North who will vote within the next month. The Fiorina campaign has routinely pointed to the schedule as their biggest obstacle, clinging to the line that they will do better as the campaign marches on. Scoring wins in Hawaii, Maine, and Michigan, Fiorina is building a coalition that appears to not only attract the college-educated suburban voters that had previously been her backbone but also now attracting Asian and Hispanic Republicans as the Rubio campaign flounders. Accordingly, many donors who have backed the Florida Senator to this point are reportedly calling for his withdrawal and consolidation around Fiorina, who they view as the clearest option to stop Cruz and a Tea Party takeover of the nomination. Rubio, after a sorely needed win in the Puerto Rico primary, has redoubled his commitment to stay in the race until the voters in his home state have weighed in next week. It is unlikely Rubio will be competitive anywhere except Florida going forward as his campaign pours its strained resources into the winner-take-all contest in the Sunshine State. Less resilient and perhaps savvier than Rubio, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, after disappointing second-place finishes in Maine and Michigan, has announced the suspension of his campaign. At a speech given at his last campaign event in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Christie thanked his many supporters, including Ohio Governor John Kasich, who was present at the event. Christie also encouraged all of his supporters watching at home that have an upcoming primary to support Carly Fiorina. This endorsement provides yet another boost for the Fiorina campaign in the Northeastern region, which many are now describing as the "anti-Cruz" firewall. Whether that holds up remains to be seen in April. Sources close to both candidates and their campaigns suggest that Christie is under heavy consideration for a position of high importance in a possible Fiorina administration, with some sources claiming that includes the Vice Presidency, though most agree a Cabinet position is most likely. On the heels of Christie's announcement, Ohio Governor John Kasich followed suit, backing Fiorina and announcing he will join her for a campaign event in Columbus, Ohio, ahead of the Ohio primary next week. Kasich will take on the duties of Fiorina's top Ohio surrogate this week as the campaign covers a broad swath of states that the campaign claims could be the contests that put Fiorina ahead for the first time since last month. In other news, Donald Trump has officially endorsed Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination. The failed candidate has, quietly and without official suspension, stopped contesting states in his own right, but has funneled millions into his "Campaign for the People" whose stated goal is to "stop the corrupt establishment and defeat Hillary Clinton," which has blanketed Democratic contests in Pro-Sanders, Anti-Clinton messaging. Sanders and Clinton remain neck-and-neck for the Democratic nomination, and it remains unclear what impact, if any, Trump will have on his old party's primary. Candidate Standings - March 9th, 2016 Ted Cruz - 3,739,677 votes (29.73%) / 391 delegates (15.82%) Carly Fiorina - 3,245,825 (25.80%) / 291 delegates (11.77%) Ben Carson - 1,984,422 (15.78%) / 159 delegates (6.43%) Marco Rubio - 1,727,374 (13.73%) / 95 delegates (3.84%) Chris Christie - 1,049,958 (8.35%) / 50 delegates (2.02%) [withdrawn, endorsed Fiorina] John Kasich - 528,693 (4.20%) / 26 delegates (1.05%) [withdrawn, endorsed Fiorina] Others - 303,108 (2.42%) / 7 delegates (0.28%) 12,579,057 votes cast / 1237 delegates to win / 2472 delegates total

Mississippi GOP Primary - March 8th, 2016 Ted Cruz - 150,978 votes (31.7%) 16 delegates Ben Carson - 147,167 votes (30.9%) 15 delegates Carly Fiorina - 89,082 votes (21.4%) 6 delegates Marco Rubio - 41,912 votes (8.8%) Chris Christie - 30,958 votes (6.5%) Donald Trump - 3,334 votes (0.7%) 416,270 votes cast / 37 delegates allocated

Michigan GOP Primary - March 8th, 2016 Carly Fiorina - 468,551 votes (35.4%) 22 delegates Chris Christie - 273,983 votes (20.7%) 13 delegates Ted Cruz - 226,334 votes (17.1%) 11 delegates Ben Carson - 209,127 votes (15.8%) 10 delegates Marco Rubio - 133,682 votes (10.1%) Donald Trump - 11,912 votes (0.9%) 1,323,589 votes cast / 56 delegates allocated

Idaho GOP Primary - March 8th, 2016 Ted Cruz - 78,145 votes (35.2%) 18 delegates Ben Carson - 60,829 votes (27.4%) 14 delegates Carly Fiorina - 41,293 votes (18.6%) Marco Rubio - 26,196 votes (11.8%) Chris Christie - 12,432 votes (5.6%) Donald Trump - 2,664 (1.2%) 222,004 votes cast / 32 delegates allocated

Hawaii GOP Caucus - March 8th, 2016 Carly Fiorina - 6,094 votes (38.8%) 8 delegates Marco Rubio - 3,817 votes (24.3%) 5 delegates Chris Christie - 2,655 votes (16.9%) 2 delegates Ted Cruz - 2,230 votes (14.2%) 1 delegate Ben Carson - 895 votes (5.7%) Donald Trump - 157 votes (0.1%) 15,708 votes cast / 16 delegates allocated

Puerto Rico GOP Primary - March 6th, 2016 Marco Rubio - 19,403 votes (47.1%) 13 delegates Carly Fiorina - 10,011 votes (24.3%) 7 delegates Ted Cruz - 5,150 votes (12.5%) Chris Christie - 4,284 votes (10.4%) Ben Carson - 2,307 votes (5.6%) Donald Trump - 412 votes (0.1%) 41,196 votes cast / 20 delegates allocated

Maybe NOT Kathleen Bell?

Maine GOP Caucus - March 5th, 2016 Carly Fiorina - 5,718 votes (30.7%) 7 delegates Chris Christie - 5,104 votes (27.4%) 6 delegates Ted Cruz - 3,409 votes (18.3%) 4 delegates Marco Rubio - 2,906 votes (15.6%) 3 delegates Ben Carson - 1,453 votes (7.8%) Donald Trump - 37 votes (0.2%) 18,627 votes cast / 20 delegates allocated

Louisiana GOP Primary - March 5th, 2016 Ben Carson - 92,782 votes (30.8%) 16 delegates Ted Cruz - 82,841 votes (27.5%) 15 delegates Carly Fiorina - 68,683 votes (22.3%) 13 delegates Marco Rubio - 34,941 votes (11.6%) Chris Christie - 19,882 votes (6.6%) Donald Trump - 3,012 votes (1.2%) 301,241 votes cast / 44 delegates allocated

Kentucky GOP Caucus - March 5th, 2016 Ben Carson - 77,168 votes (33.6%) 15 delegates Ted Cruz - 76,939 votes (33.5%) 15 delegates Carly Fiorina - 42,029 votes (18.3%) 9 delegates Marco Rubio - 16,536 votes (7.2%) 3 delegates Chris Christie - 9,876 votes (4.3%) Donald Trump - 7,120 votes (3.1%) 229,667 votes cast / 42 delegates allotted

Kansas GOP Caucus - March 5th, 2016 Ted Cruz - 20,929 votes (26.5%) 14 delegates Carly Fiorina - 19,355 votes (24.5%) 12 delegates Ben Carson - 18,007 votes (22.3%) 7 delegates Marco Rubio - 11,452 votes (14.5%) 4 delegates Chris Christie - 9,003 votes (11.4%) 3 delegates Donald Trump - 632 votes (0.8%) 78,978 votes cast / 40 delegates allocated

Eleventh GOP Debate - March 3rd, 2016 Detroit, Michigan Center: Ted Cruz Center-Right: Carly Fiorina Center-Left: Ben Carson 2nd from Right: Marco Rubio 2nd from Left: Chris Christie --- (The Tenth GOP debate took place "off-screen" in Houston, Texas on February 25th, leading into Super Tuesday. The debate was largely uneventful, though Cruz was generally agreed to have had the best night, buoyed by a friendly crowd of Texans that gave him the most applause of any candidate. This small boost in momentum was reflected by a small but clear victory on Super Tuesday overall. This was the last appearance of Ohio Governor John Kasich before the race became a 5-candidate contest.) This debate, held on the heels of Super Tuesday and with an eye toward upcoming contests in Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan, and Mississippi (all within the next week), was the first to feature the top 5 candidates of the 2016 contest. Still, having 5 viable candidates on the debate stage in March reflects the fractious nature of this primary following the shockingly abrupt demise of former frontrunner Donald Trump, with each candidate representing a legitimate lane and portion of the Republican base. Cruz suffered from sustained attacks from all sides, Fiorina, Carson, and Rubio all directed most of their fire at the delegate leader while Christie largely aimed at Rubio. Christie's strategy, perceived as successful by most pundits, is likely due to the fact that if the New Jersey Governor is to win his targets of Maine and Michigan, only Rubio supporters would be likely to flip at this late hour. Carson continued his strategy of outflanking Cruz from the right, particularly on religious issues where he caught Cruz in a contradiction of a cited Bible verse, leading to a strange theological discussion that Carson won, but isolated both from more secular voters. Fiorina shined in a moment when, called "California Carly" by Senator Cruz, the former CEO highlighted her home state's economic dynamo and natural beauty, comparing it to the United States under the horrible leadership of Barack Obama, and comparing herself to Ronald Reagan, arguing that it is not the state itself which is responsible for its troubles, but poor leadership and that it will take a California Conservative in the mold of Reagan, which has been a theme throughout the Fiorina campaign, to clean up the mess of the magnitude of that which Obama has left behind, much like Reagan did with Carter. Both Fiorina and Carson were considered winners, while Rubio and Christie had mixed performances. Cruz was said to have struggled under the 3-person barrage.

Gov. Burgum settles on State Superintendant Kirsten Baesler (assuming she is in my faction). Gov. Haslam, after reviewing many fine candidates, appoints Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell (again, assuming she is mine) The late Congressman's ex-wife, Jenny Sanford, long-rumored as a potential candidate for office herself, will kick off her campaign with a rally in Charleston featuring an introduction and endorsement from Governor Haley.

The State of the Race Post-Super Tuesday Super Tuesday was a mixed bag to be sure. Every candidate save for Rubio won a contest, who himself took 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place in every single contest. Ted Cruz emerged as the overall delegate and contest leader from Super Tuesday, netting 278 delegates and 5 contests, concentrated in his stronghold region of the South and West, performing extremely well with committed Tea Party conservatives and college-educated evangelicals. A particularly large victory in his home state of Texas is largely responsible for the distance placed between Cruz and his closest challenger, Carly Fiorina, who netted 152 delegates and won 4 contests. Fiorina performed well in more suburban states like Virginia and Minnesota as expected, but also scored a victory in Georgia widely considered an upset, and shockingly carried the Alaska caucus after a late-breaking endorsement from Pink Elephant founder and former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who was at one time thought to be a likely Cruz backer. Ben Carson proved that his coalition of non-college-educated evangelicals and populist social and religious conservatives should not be taken lightly, earning him 73 delegates and winning him the Tennessee primary. Carson has vowed to "go all the way" and that "God is with" him and his supporters. The Cruz campaign has begun heavy pressuring in the media to encourage Carson to drop out, but it appears his campaign is here to stay with a strong core of devoted followers. Meanwhile, Chris Christie and John Kasich seem to have come to the conclusion that the old-school moderate lane is simply too crowded. Kasich, who notched a victory in Vermont, has announced his decision to suspend his own campaign and endorse the New Jersey Governor, who walked away from Super Tuesday as the winner in Massachusetts. This consolidation is sure to help Christie, but pundits still wonder if even the Kasich and Christie forces combined will be enough to force a lane to the nomination. Christie has thanked Governor Kasich for his support and his campaign has shifted all of its resources to the Maine caucus and Michigan primary on March 5th and 8th respectively, which are widely viewed as tests of his campaign's viability. This leaves Florida Senator Marco Rubio's position in doubt. Senator Rubio, despite failing to win a single primary, netted 51 delegates and has promised to continue his campaign until his home state has had a chance to weigh in on March 15th. The Cruz campaign has declared itself the frontrunner, touting its support in traditionally conservative regions, while the Fiorina campaign has emphasized that Carly is the most popular candidate among swing state Republicans, pointing to victories in New Hampshire, Virginia, and Minnesota and emphasizing that if Carly's home state had voted last night, she would be the frontrunner. To that end, Fiorina, addressing a victory rally of supporters near her second home in Fairfax, Virginia, said that "I wish Senator Cruz a hearty congratulations on his victory in his home state, and I look forward to enjoying an even larger one in mine," signaling that the Fiorina campaign intends to compete until the last state has voted, as Californians will not cast a primary ballot until June 7th, the final primary date. Meanwhile, the once-promising campaign of failed New York businessman Donald Trump has all but imploded, with support collapsing across every demographic and failing to win even a single delegate among the hundreds allocated. Trump has said he plans to win the nomination, which all those outside his immediate circle have deemed "delusional," but the now failing candidate has promised a "big announcement" in the coming weeks. One thing is clear, while Senator Cruz is the tentative frontrunner, the calendar is running out of southern states for him to win, and he will need to compete with Fiorina in the North, hoping that Rubio and an emboldened Christie will take enough moderate and mainline conservatives to deprive her of pluralities in the delegate-rich contests in the coming weeks. National Results as of March 2nd, 2016 Ted Cruz - 3,092,722 (31.29%) / 297 delegates (12.01% of total available) Carly Fiorina - 2,495,009 (25.24%) / 207 delegates (8.37%) Ben Carson - 1,374,687 (13.91%) / 82 delegates (3.32%) Marco Rubio - 1,436,529 (14.53%) / 67 delegates (2.71%) Chris Christie - 681,781 (6.90%) / 26 delegates (1.05%) John Kasich - 528,693 (5.35%) / 26 delegates (1.05%) [withdrawn, endorsed Christie] Others: 273,828 (2.77%) / 7 delegates (0.28%)

The Chief Judge uses some of her bribe money to buy a new handbag. She also gives Ed Mangini $1,000 for his daughter's high school tuition.

@Rodja How on earth does Bernie get magically confirmed? No way it would make it through the Senate.

(of the senate) 😉

Wyoming GOP Convention - March 1st, 2016 Ted Cruz - 601 votes (37.8%) 10 delegates Ben Carson - 401 votes (25.2%) 7 delegates Carly Fiorina - 310 votes (19.5%) 5 delegates Marco Rubio - 183 votes (11.5%) 3 delegates Chris Christie - 76 votes (4.8%) 1 delegate John Kasich - 19 votes (1.2%) Donald Trump - 0 votes (0%) 1,590 votes / 26 delegates allotted

Virginia GOP Primary - March 1st, 2016 Carly Fiorina - 360,959 votes (35.2%) 17 delegates Marco Rubio - 214,319 votes (20.9%) 10 delegates Ben Carson - 132,283 votes (12.9%) 6 delegates Ted Cruz - 128,182 votes (12.5%) 6 delegates Chris Christie - 100,494 votes (9.8%) 4 delegates John Kasich - 83,063 votes (8.1%) 3 delegates Donald Trump - 6,152 votes (0.6%) 1,025,452 votes cast / 46 delegates allotted

Vermont GOP Primary - March 1st, 2016 John Kasich - 18,306 votes (29.8%) 5 delegates Chris Christie - 16,463 votes (26.8%) 4 delegates Carly Fiorina - 16,401 votes (26.7%) 4 delegates Marco Rubio - 5,836 votes (9.5%) Ted Cruz - 2,580 votes (4.2%) Ben Carson - 1,659 votes (2.7%) Donald Trump - 184 votes (0.3%) 61,428 votes cast / 13 delegates allotted

Texas GOP Primary - March 1st, 2016 Ted Cruz - 1,469,301 votes (51.8%) 113 delegates Carly Fiorina - 782,875 votes (27.6%) 32 delegates Ben Carson - 241,101 votes (8.5%) 3 delegates Marco Rubio - 209,900 votes (7.4%) 4 delegates Chris Christie - 65,239 votes (2.3%) John Kasich - 36,874 votes (1.3%) Donald Trump - 25,528 votes (0.9%) 2,836,488 votes cast / 152 delegates allotted

Tennessee GOP Primary - March 1st, 2016 Ben Carson - 220,778 votes (25.8%) 29 delegates Ted Cruz - 219,067 votes (25.6%) 22 delegates Carly Fiorina - 165,156 votes (19.3%) 4 delegates Marco Rubio - 150,608 votes (17.6%) Chris Christie - 47,921 votes (5.6%) Donald Trump - 27,383 votes (3.2%) John Kasich - 24,816 votes (2.9%) 855,729 votes cast / 55 delegates allotted

Oklahoma GOP Primary - March 1st, 2016 Ted Cruz - 184,429 votes (40.1%) 24 delegates Ben Carson - 91,065 votes (19.8%) 7 delegates Carly Fiorina - 88,305 votes (19.2%) 9 delegates Marco Rubio - 58,870 votes (12.8%) Chris Christie - 21,616 votes (4.7%) Donald Trump - 8,279 votes (1.8%) John Kasich - 7,359 votes (1.6%) 459,922 votes cast / 40 delegates allocated