#NeverTrump’s next level

ALL ABOUT (STOPPING) TRUMP: Voting hasn’t even finished yet, and word is out of a new, fevered attempt to stop DONALD TRUMP. POLITICO’s Shane Goldmacher reports: Three influential leaders in the conservative movement have summoned other top conservatives for a closed-door meeting this Thursday in Washington, D.C., to talk about how to stop Donald Trump and, should he become the Republican nominee, how to run a third-party “true conservative” challenger in the fall.

The organizers of the meeting include Bill Wichterman, who was President George W. Bush’s liaison to the conservative movement, Bob Fischer, a South Dakota businessman and longtime conservative convener, and Erick Erickson, the outspoken Trump opponent and conservative activist who founded RedState.com. "Please join other conservative leaders to strategize how to defeat Donald Trump for the Republican nomination,” the three wrote in an invitation obtained by POLITICO that recently went out to conservative leaders, "and if he is the Republican nominee for president, to offer a true conservative candidate in the general election."


The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, two days after winner-take-all Florida and Ohio vote in what many Republican operatives believe will determine whether Trump is on an unstoppable march to the nomination or is likely to stall out short of the 1,237 delegates he needs. One person involved in the gathering described it as in the “embryonic” stages. "It’s not like there’s a royal grand plan that’s going to be unfurled," this person said. "People aren’t giving up on the Republican Party yet."

Read more at: http://politi.co/1QVs8OZ

Tuesday, Tuesday, gotta sort out troves of delegates on Tuesday. Welcome to your 2016 Blast. Where we are always tabulating, tabulating, tabulating, yeah. Henry C. Jackson (@henrycjjackson) is here to guide you through the day’s campaign news. Send your takes, complaints and tips on which seat we should take to: [email protected].

TRAIL MIX: In today’s campaign news, voting! Florida, Illinois Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio vote. For HILLARY CLINTON and BERNIE SANDERS results will shape the weeks ahead. Clinton sweats turnout and Sanders finds Bill Clinton critiquing him again. For the GOP, DONALD TRUMP’s victories could shape the race. MARCO RUBIO hopes for a Florida miracle, JOHN KASICH looks for a home state win and TED CRUZ works his angles.

THE NEXT MOST SUPER TUESDAY:

DEGREE OF BERN: POLITICO’s Edward-Isaac Dovere, Gabriel Debenedetti and Annie Karni look at what tonight represents for BERNIE SANDERS — a chance to rattle the race, particularly if he can pull of victories in three Midwestern states where he’s been closing in on HILLARY CLINTON. “The Vermont senator’s best-case scenario Tuesday has him pulling out three victories — he’s within single digits of Clinton in the latest polls in Illinois, Missouri and Ohio — an outcome that would … raise new questions about the durability of the Clinton campaign.”

http://politi.co/1MkSmWO

SLOGGING ON: POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt previews tonight’s action by summarizing the dismay of the GOP — and the party’s fear that a long, ugly slog to the nomination, regardless of tonight’s results, is what’s ahead: “Top Republicans are looking beyond Tuesday’s make-or-break primaries and preparing for a nasty nomination fight that could push all the way to this summer’s GOP convention in Cleveland. The planning, detailed in conversations with nearly a dozen party officials and strategists, is stretching from Ted Cruz campaign headquarters in Houston to the Republican National Committee’s offices on Capitol Hill. http://politi.co/22i7f9c

THE DAILY CLINTON

ALL ABOUT … YUP, TURNOUT: Washington Post reports HILLARY CLINTON took time today to hit polling sites in North Carolina, where she thanked supporters and urged other voters to go out and vote, even if they see polls with her ahead. http://wapo.st/1nLPHz7

EMBATTLED SUPPORT: Re/Code reports Elizabeth Holmes, the CEO of Theranos — a highly funded, highly valued, but now seriously embattled Silicon Valley blood testing startup — will host a fundraiser for HILLARY CLINTON with Chelsea Clinton. http://on.recode.net/1XqYLG2

EXTREMIST SUPPORT: The Telegraph reports the Ku Klux Klan’s grand dragon in California is backing HILLARY CLINTON, under the premise that she will surely reverse many of her policies once she is not campaigning. http://bit.ly/1SM1Dhx

THE PROGRESSIVE RESISTANCE

BIG DOG, BARKING: The Hill reports former President Bill Clinton stepped up attacks on BERNIE SANDERS while campaigning in Illinois. “There’s a blame candidate, and a responsibility candidate,” Clinton said. http://bit.ly/1QVoMeL

BLAST NOTES: Whether Bill Clinton is attacking is, generally, a good barometer on how nervous the Clinton operation is at any one time. Read into this what you will.

SUPER BERN?: The Atlantic looks at whether BERNIE SANDERS could win over the Democratic establishment, particularly super delegates who pledged their support to HILLARY CLINTON. “Sanders faces a steep uphill primary battle … but … superdelegates can still switch their allegiances, and Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, a superdelegate who has endorsed Sanders, says that at least some superdelegates in Congress have already expressed regret at making up their minds so early on.” http://theatln.tc/1Vae3QC

TRUMP ON THE STUMP

NEW TERRITORY: POLITICO’s Eliza Collins reports that even before today’s voting started DONALD TRUMP bagged nine winner-take-all delegates — from the Northern Mariana Islands. http://politi.co/1M4vwba

BLAST WONDERS: Will they get a shout out from DONALD TRUMP tonight?

MAN BEHIND THE MAN: POLITICO’s Kenneth P. Vogel, Ben Schreckinger and Hadas Gold profile DONALD TRUMP’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who has gained notoriety in recent days for his alleged role in a fracas involving a Breitbart reporter. Turns out, this is not Lewandowski’s first brush with controversy: A POLITICO investigation reveals that the incident was far from the first time in Lewandowski’s political career ― or even during the 2016 campaign ― that the intense, Red Bull-chugging operative has been accused of bullying and other inappropriate behavior. http://politi.co/1QUEmZv

ANOTHER MAN BEHIND THE MAN: The New York Times talks to DONALD TRUMP’s longtime butler, Anthony Senecal, to get a sense of the man. “Few people ... can anticipate Mr. Trump’s demands and desires better than Mr. Senecal, 74, who has worked at the property for nearly 60 years, and for Mr. Trump for nearly 30 of them.” http://nyti.ms/1pl4aDs

NO DEAL: Mother Jones reports DONALD TRUMP is definitely not going to pay his supporters’ legal fees after a sucker-punch incident in North Carolina. He had, at one point, seemed to imply he would. http://bit.ly/1SQhYSk

TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE

HUCK, NO: USA Today reports TED CRUZ’s big challenge now is to avoid the fate of Iowa winners RICK SANTORUM and MIKE HUCKABEE before him — winning the early prize of GOP presidential politics but failing to turn that into a winning coalition. http://usat.ly/1YT8y98

BERGER TIME: TWC News reports North Carolina Senate Leader Phil Berger has endorsed TED CRUZ ahead of today’s primary. He called him the only candidate with a “realistic chance.” http://bit.ly/1UwSaum

RUBIO’s RACE

MARCO’S MIRACLE?: NBC reports that MARCO RUBIO’s Hispanic supporters are hoping that his home state advantage and ties in the state will result in a surprise tonight. http://nbcnews.to/1pm73nn Though, whatever hapepns, Rubio said that he would continue campaigning even if he takes a loss in Florida. POLITICO’s Nick Gass has more. http://politi.co/22i8uVQ

MO APOLOGIES: CNN reports MARCO RUBIO spent the night before a potentially determinative Florida primary apologizing for taking the bait from DONALD TRUMP. “"The fact that I'm here now in front of those cameras comes with responsibility, and I'll confess, I've learned that myself," he said. http://cnn.it/1XrOtW6

FLORIDA "GROUND ZERO" FOR RISING SEA LEVELS: With all eyes on the Florida primary tonight, the newest installment of POLITICO Magazine's "What Works" series takes a deep dive into one of the major challenges that Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush's home state faces. Florida ranks most vulnerable in an assessment of all 50 states for their risk to climate change. Cities in South Florida like Miami, are responding to rising sea levels amidst a political reality indifferent to the exigencies of climate change. http://politi.co/1RiBVM9

KASICH’s CASE

RIDING OHIO: CBS reports JOHN KASICH predicted a “whole new ballgame” if he wins his home state’s winner-take-all primary tonight. “I've had more attention in the last two weeks than I've had really since I started this campaign ... and I think the people will reward me for two reasons — one, a good record as I stated and secondly, because I'm not going to take the low road to the highest office in the land." http://cbsn.ws/1YWZcZR

NO KAS: POLITICO’s Eliza Collins reports JOHN KASICH said there is “no chance I would team up with DONALD TRUMP” to win in 2016. Fairly Sherman-esque: http://politi.co/252Flgb

NEXT NEWS CYCLE

“TK”, as we say in the business. Much of what unfolds in the days ahead — schedules, whether certain campaigns continue, where they are waged — is contingent upon results tonight. How often can you say that?! But fear not: When the results roll in, we’ll have a special Tuesday night 2016 Blast for you tonight when the dust has settled.

THE DAILY NUMBER

99. That’s the number of delegates on the line in Florida — a winner take all state for Republicans. Big stakes: http://politi.co/22i8uVQ

FOLLOW @POLITICO’S politics team: @PoliticoCharlie, @POLITICO_Steve, @PoliticoAlex, @anniekarni, @GlennThrush, @EliStokols, @katieglueck, @schreckreports, @gdebenedetti, @Hadas_Gold, @ec_schneider, @kyledcheney , @theodoricmeyer, @MarcACaputo, @PoliticoKevin,@mikeallen, @dlippman, @Danielstrauss4, @henrycjjackson, @shanegoldmacher,@KristinPolitico, @PoliticoScott, @Patrick_C_Reis