PoliticsMarco RubioElections 20162016 election

Marco Rubio Just Lost To Donald Trump For The Fourth Time In A Row

The Florida senator still hasn't won a state.
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By 

Senior Enterprise Editor, HuffPost

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When Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio finished third in the Iowa caucuses, the media said he was the real winner. His campaign talked of a "3-2-1" strategy in which he'd finish second in New Hampshire and first in South Carolina. Yet he lost both states to Donald Trump, finishing fifth in New Hampshire and second in South Carolina.

Surely, Nevada would be the place he'd win. National Review had called it his "firewall." 

Wrong again. Rubio lost the Nevada caucuses Tuesday night. Trump won again, drawing further ahead in the delegate race.

Nevada was supposed to be a key state for the Florida senator. CNN's John King explained the Rubio campaign's plans for the caucus last year:

Plan A: Get at least one win in the first three states (Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina) and then win Nevada as the exclamation point before heading home to the giant Florida GOP primary.

Plan B: Win Nevada after going 0-3 to open the race so that Rubio survives to compete in his home state primary.

Plan A went out the window when Rubio went 0-3 in the first three states. Plan B just died on the Las Vegas strip. Now that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is out of the nomination race, Rubio is the establishment (and media) favorite. But he still hasn't won a single state.

If Rubio, the junior senator from Florida, can't pull out a victory in his home state on March 15, where can he win? Remember, the race for the nomination is really a race for delegates, who pick the party's nominee at its July convention. Florida is a winner-take-all primary: Whoever wins will win all of the state's 99 delegates. 

Rubio trails Trump in the polling average in Florida. But he also trails Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. And if second place in Florida gets no delegates, third place gets even fewer.

Editor's note: Donald Trump is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist, birther and bully who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims -- 1.6 billion members of an entire religion -- from entering the U.S.

Also on HuffPost:

Declared 2016 Presidential Candidates
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) -- Announced March 23, 2015(01 of22)
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Cruz dropped out of the race May 3, 2016. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) -- Announced April 7, 2015(02 of22)
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Paul announced he was suspending his campaign on Feb. 3, 2016. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Former Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton -- Announced April 12, 2015(03 of22)
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(credit:Andrew Burton via Getty Images)
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) -- Announced April 13, 2015(04 of22)
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Rubio suspended his campaign March 15, 2016. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) -- Announced April 30, 2015(05 of22)
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(credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Ben Carson -- Announced May 4, 2015(06 of22)
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Ben Carson officially suspended his campaign March 4, 2016. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Carly Fiorina -- Announced May 4, 2015(07 of22)
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Fiorina suspended her campaign Feb. 10, 2016. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) -- Announced May 5, 2015(08 of22)
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Huckabee announced he was suspending his campaign on Feb. 1, 2016. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) -- Announced May 27, 2015(09 of22)
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Santorum suspended his campaign on Feb. 3, 2016. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) -- Announced May 28, 2015(10 of22)
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Pataki dropped out of the race on Dec. 29, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) -- Announced May 30, 2015(11 of22)
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O'Malley announced he was suspending his campaign on Feb. 1, 2015, the night of the 2016 Iowa caucuses. (credit:Alex Wong via Getty Images)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) -- Announced June 1, 2015(12 of22)
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Graham dropped out of the race on Dec. 21, 2015. (credit:Jessica McGowan via Getty Images)
Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (D) -- Announced June 3, 2015(13 of22)
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Chafee ended his campaign on Oct. 23, 2015. (credit:Win McNamee via Getty Images)
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) -- Announced June 4, 2015(14 of22)
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Perry announced he was ending his campaign on Sept. 11, 2015. (credit:Joe Raedle via Getty Images)
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) -- Announced June 15, 2015(15 of22)
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Bush suspended his campaign Feb. 20, 2016. (credit:Darren McCollester via Getty Images)
Business Mogul Donald Trump (R) -- Announced June 16, 2015(16 of22)
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(credit:Christopher Gregory via Getty Images)
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) -- Announced June 24, 2015(17 of22)
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Jindal dropped out of the race on Nov. 17, 2015. (credit:Darren McCollester via Getty Images)
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) -- Announced June 30, 2015(18 of22)
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A spokesman said on Feb. 10, 2016, that Christie was suspending his campaign. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Former Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) -- Announced July 2, 2015(19 of22)
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Webb announced he was ending his campaign on Oct. 20, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) -- Announced July 13, 2015(20 of22)
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Walker announced he was dropping out of the race on Sept. 21, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore (R) -- Declared July 29, 2015(21 of22)
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Gilmore suspended his campaign on Feb. 12, 2016. (credit:Darren McCollester via Getty Images)
Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson (L) -- Announced Jan. 6, 2016(22 of22)
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Johnson will seek the Libertarian Party's nomination. (credit:Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

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