The 2016 Blast The latest POLITICO scoops and coverage of the 2016 elections. Email Sign Up

Tweets from https://twitter.com/politico/lists/team-politico



Rush Limbaugh speculated that if Jeb Bush doesn't swoop in and win the nomination, Mitt Romney will emerge to win it. Limbaugh: Jeb Bush could mount a convention comeback

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh on Tuesday speculated that a Floridian will emerge as the Republican nominee at a contested convention in July.

Recent polls suggest John Kasich has a narrow advantage over Republican front-runner Donald Trump in Ohio, but the New York billionaire dominates Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in his state. Both states are holding winner-take-all primaries on Tuesday.

But Kasich doesn’t have a prayer of becoming the nominee, Limbaugh said, and it’s former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush — not Rubio — he says could win the nomination.

If neither Trump nor Ted Cruz win the necessary 1,237 delegates to win the Republican nomination outright, “I’m here to tell you Jeb Bush is gonna be the nominee,” Limbaugh warned, according to a transcript of his radio show. “That’s what they’re gonna do. That’s what they’ve always wanted.”

Limbaugh recalled Bush remarking in December 2014 that his strategy was to win the nomination despite losing primaries — something he planned to do by outspending his opponents. Limbaugh added that Bush, who left race in February, would escape the primary without having to talk about abortion, immigration or anything else that matters to Tea Party voters.

“He’s gonna win the nomination nevertheless,” Limbaugh said. “And it may well yet happen.”

If Bush doesn’t wind up with the nomination, Limbaugh said, it will be 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney who emerges. But in either scenario, Limbaugh stressed, it’s paramount for Kasich to win Ohio.

“Kasich wins Ohio, then the establishment thinks that they’ve got a pathway to deny Trump 1,237 or Cruz 1,237,” he said. “And that’s key.”

