RUSH: Let’s go to Nevada here. Trump wins, third time in a row, by margins that actually outstrip most of the optimistic polls, and this is kind of interesting because I have here (in my formerly nicotine-stained fingers) a story from (What is this?) TheHill.com. “Rubio: Trump Underperformed in Nevada Caucuses.” It’s an amazing analysis from number two. Oh, we gotta get to John Kasich too. Everybody’s starting to ask, “What is he hanging around for?” I’ll tell you exactly what he’s hanging around for.

Do you know what he’s hanging around for? (interruption) You don’t? I’ll give you a hint. It’s not to win Ohio. That’s not why John Kasich is hanging around. Even if he won Ohio, big whoop! That’s all he’s gonna win, and… (interruption) Oh, damn right he does. Everybody’s got it wrong. Everybody’s thinking that what ought to happen is that Rubio ought to go to Kasich and sign him up as his VP, and that gets Kasich out of the race and takes Kasich’s six or seven or whatever points he’s got. Added to Rubio, that makes it a real race

Why would Kasich go away? Rubio’s not gonna win. Rubio hadn’t won anything yet. That’s another thing. Rubio’s another second place, second place, second place. We’re talking Rubio. Rubio’s hasn’t won diddly-squat. Trump’s running away with this. The only guy that’s beat Trump so far is Cruz. Cruz needs to make some adjustments, I think. But no, Kasich… (interruption) Well, I don’t know, but common sense is that he’s hanging around waiting for Trump to ask him to be VP. Why sign up with somebody who’s not gonna win this thing?

Why wouldn’t you want to be the VP of the front-runner? Which would be Donaldus Maximus, the Trumpster. Why wouldn’t you sign up with him if you’re from Kasich’s at some point? That’s what I think he’s doing. This is for Kasich. I mean, he’s not gonna win this. He’s not gonna be any more than governor unless he becomes somebody’s VP. He’s 63, 64 years old, whatever. And this is the biggest shot that he’s gonna get. So I’m sure that’s why he’s hanging on. And if he can do well in Ohio, that could send a signal.

Trump could arguably say he’s from Florida, could arguably say he’s from New York. You’ve got Trump. Trump can say he’s (chuckles) wherever his plane happens to be that day. And Kasich’s from Ohio. That’s what I think Kasich’s doing. Kasich kind of telegraphed when he told a crowd yesterday, “I don’t know what I’m doing here.” Did you see that? “I don’t know that I’m in this to win the presidency.” He said, “I’m just in this and we’ll just see where it all falls out. We’ll just see where it goes.”

Well, where it’s going, I’m sure Kasich’s told all of his people, “Stay off the phones, and wait for the call to be veep from somebody.” If Rubio calls him to be veep, he’d have to take the call, he’s have to consider it. But why would he do it? Why would he do it? The only reason to do that would be on the come, on the theory that, “Okay, if I take my support here — my (sigh) voluminous support of whatever it is, six points, seven points — and then I add that to Rubio’s, I’m still 10 points behind Trump. And that’s the way I’m gonna get to the vice presidency.”

I don’t think he’s gonna see it that way. I could be wrong. Look, this not my business. I’m just a commentator here on the radio responsible for all this mess. (laughing) You… (interruption) Oh, yeah, it’s still going on. I mean, they brought Fred Barnes on at Fox to talk about it yesterday. David Asman did. I don’t even want to get into it. It happens every election. Every election the people that don’t get what they want, it’s my fault. It is. Whoever’s losing, it’s my fault for not signing up. It’s my fault for not endorsing. It’s my fault for not doing this or that.

And the winners all think that I’ve been on their side. And they all thanking me and praising me. So. And I haven’t done anything. I’m not doing anything differently. But, anyway, Rubio is saying… This is Wednesday, right? Rubio said that Trump had underperformed in the Nevada caucus. He said last time Mitt Romney got over 50% so Trump actually underperformed what Romney did, not once but twice in this state. Rubio was on Fox & Friends today, and he was talking about 2008, 2012. I hate to break it to him, but this was a slam dunk.

Let me find the numbers. The turnout was a record. The turnout was a all-time high. In 2008, the turnout was 44,000 Republican side Nevada caucus. In 2012, it was 32,000. Yesterday it was 73,000. Yesterday’s turnout was almost exactly equal to the combined turnout of 2008 and 2012. And Trump won 46%. He’s looking at this and says, “Mitt Romney… Whatever percentage Romney got in terms of real votes is in Trump’s rearview mirror, no matter how you slice this.” But I understand what Rubio’s doing.

I mean, Rubio wants to stay in this and considered to be a very close front-runner. And you know, perception is reality to try to get it out there that Trump underperformed, because that would be a first outside of Iowa. But, anyway, let’s go through the rest of this. Trump wins Nevada, third primary/caucus in a row by margins that actually outstrip most of the polls that were optimistic. He actually did better. He outperformed the polls. There might be a Trump Effect out there going on.

There might be, meaning fewer people who say they’re gonna vote for Trump than actually do. I mean, more people vote for him than say so on polls, ’cause he’s over-performing, he’s outperforming the polls. And for a third time in a row the Republican turnout broke all previous records, and again in Nevada turnout yesterday was almost equal to the combined turnout of ’08 and ’12. Trump even won by a percentage that exceeds the total of 2008 and 2012. Now, here’s the thing about this.

I realize you had to stay up until what, 11:30 or midnight last night to have any idea what was happening, and there was a… I don’t know. Attitudinally, I think a lot of people say, “Nevada? It’s way out there. It’s casinos. Come on! It doesn’t matter what happens in Nevada primary. No big deal.” And then you see that the Republicans that live there showed up in a record number, and you find out that there isn’t any off state here. There isn’t any state where people are ho-hum about this.

The news preliminarily to Nevada did not make Nevada look nearly as big as South Carolina, for example, or Iowa, New Hampshire. It was just kind of the next spot, but it was sandwiched there. “What really was important is what’s coming next. Nevada is kind of a speed bump.” And then you see all this turnout? It was huge in Nevada like it has been everywhere else. Now, Trump won by a percentage that exceeds the totals of the next two candidates combined. Trump got 45.9%, so we’ll round that off so people in Rio Linda can more easily follow us here.

Forty-six percent for Trump.

Rubio and Cruz votes combined add up to 45.3%. Rubio at 24% and Cruz at 21.5%. Once again, Trump won all groups. He won very conservative voters, 38%. He won somewhat conservative voters, 50%. He won moderate voters, 55%. Look, this is… (interruption) Moderates? (interruption) Look, why are you shocked? I have been saying for I don’t know how long, Trump’s coalition is exactly what the Republican Party for all these years has been claiming they want. He’s got people from every ethnic group and sizable percentages of them.

He’s out there… There’s a question in the sound bites. CNN, they can’t figure it out. Somebody asked Gloria Borger, “Gloria, why is it that so many Hispanics are supporting Trump when he insults them every day?” She didn’t have an answer for it. Well, you know, anger. Didn’t have an answer for it. To this day they can’t explain this. That’s… I understand that. Moderates are supposed to be turned off by anger.
Look, you know as well as I do that’s nothing more than a liberal Democrat trick to get the Republicans to shut up about what they believe. Exactly right.

Republicans believe, “Don’t criticize Obama! Don’t be seen as shutting down the government! Don’t disagree! Oh, my God, you’re gonna be seen as an obstructionist and not wanting to make Washington work and the independents not gonna like it. They’re gonna run right to the Democrats.” Well, you can’t find somebody that’s more angry, obstinate, in-your-face, insulting, you, mean — everything that the Republicans believe turns off moderates. Trump is Hoovering them up. So here we go again.

Let me just start. Don’t interrupt me here.

Very conservative, Trump gets 38%.

Somewhat conservative, Trump gets 50%.

Moderate voters, 55%.

He won both men and women. He won voters in every age-group over 30. He won evangelical voters as well as non-evangelicals. And of course, the Drive-Bys are scratching their heads on that. They don’t understand how in the world that can be happening, and it’s very simple how it can be happening. All these people on the left think that every conservative is a monolith. And if you’re an evangelical, it’s evangelical or bust, and that’s all you care about, which is pro-life or whatever. And if you’re something — and it’s not the mosaic that makes up support on the right wing is as intricately woven as anything they have on the left.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Couple more breakouts here. (interruption) No, don’t run down… (sigh) You realize there’s no chance here? Even if I had an answer there’s no chance of announcing it.

(interruption) What…? I would probably be on safer ground endorsing a candidate than answering that question. Anyway… I always, as I say, “I’m fascinated by the way people think.” And only Fox, by the way. I was not asked other networks. They were not part of the request.

Trump won evangelicals by 40% to 23% over Ted Cruz. That has everybody stunned. And I’m sure it has people in the — in the Cruz campaign scratching their head as well. Despite all the predictions to the contrary except for South Carolina, Trump’s numbers with evangelicals have been getting better with each vote. In Iowa, was Cruz 34%, Trump 22%, evangelicals. New Hampshire, Cruz 23%, Trump 38%. South Carolina, Cruz 27%, Trump 33%. Now Nevada, Cruz 23%, Trump 40%. The figure that’s really blowing the minds of the Drive-Bys, Trump even won Hispanics in Nevada. His numbers match the combined numbers of Rubio and Cruz, who are Hispanic.