Marco Rubio Isn’t a Winner (Except That He is With Those Who Matter)

(Slate) - The Iowa Republican caucuses are over, and the media and the GOP establishment have announced the winner: Sen. Marco Rubio. That’s an odd verdict, since Rubio came in third, trailing Sen. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. But Rubio gets the plaudits for several reasons. He did better than expected, finishing close to Trump. Rubio also gives the media a three-man race, which makes the election more suspenseful and exciting. He gives party leaders an option they find more palatable. And he validates what pundits expected all along: that Trump would fade, that Cruz is too harsh, and that in the end, the GOP would turn to a more electable nominee.

Rubio’s late surge in Iowa illustrates his appeal as a candidate. But we knew about his appeal all along. The flaw in predictions of a Rubio nomination was never Rubio. The flaw was that Rubio isn’t running in a general election or in the Republican Party of 2000. He’s running in the Republican Party of 2016. And there’s little evidence that today’s Republican electorate—as opposed to the media or the party establishment—is sufficiently unhappy with the top two finishers, Cruz and Trump, to nominate the guy who’s running third. Read more.