Marco Rubio and John McCain prevail

As expected, Marco Rubio and John McCain won their respective primaries tonight. Rubio collected 72 percent of the vote. His closest rival won only 18.5 percent.

McCain faced stronger opposition in Kelli Ward, a Tea Party style candidate. However, he prevailed by a 54-36 margin.

Rubio will face Rep. Patrick Murphy. He crushed the loathsome Alan Grayson 59-18.

Murphy, age 33, is a pretty strong candidate, I think. He tries to present himself as a moderate, which will help him in Florida.

However, Murphy stands accused by credible Florida media outlets of padding his resume in three areas — his academic record, his work record as a certified public accountant, and his status as a small business owner. This is a young man in a hurry — too much of hurry, apparently, to actually accomplish what he claims to have done.

Rubio leads Murphy in the polls by about 7 points. However, he bears the burden of Donald Trump who savaged him during the primaries but whom Rubio has endorsed. A Hillary Clinton landslide could sink Rubio.

McCain faces a serious challenge from Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick. He too is leading, though. The RCP average has him up by 8 points.

As he does for Rubio, Trump poses an obvious problem for McCain, and for similar reasons. McCain has endorsed the tycoon in spite of his attack on the Senator for having been captured during war and in spite of his dispute with that Gold Star family.

However, Kirkpatrick’s difficulty is evident from a recent CNN poll. According to Politico, it found that McCain is winning more than two-thirds of Trump voters and grabbing 28 percent of Hillary Clinton supporters. This was good for a 13-point in that particular poll.

I’ve been disappointed with some of the positions Rubio and McCain have taken on vital issues. However, they are both conservatives with plenty to offer in the Senate. In addition, their success is crucial if the Republicans are to have any realistic hope of holding the Senate.

I expect to contribute to both candidates.

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