Days until SEC Primary: 1
Here's what we know about the closing schedules for the top contenders:
Ted Cruz: Today – Dallas, San Antonio, Houston; Tuesday – Stafford, Texas.
Marco Rubio: Today – Knoxville, Tenn., Atlanta, Conway, Ark.; Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Okla.; Tuesday – Andover, Minn.; Miami.
John Kasich: Today – Plymouth, Mass.,Castleton, Vt.;Tuesday – Arlington, Va.
Ben Carson: Today – Montgomery, Ala., Lexington, Ky., Virginia Beach, Va.; Tuesday – Baltimore.
Hillary Clinton: Today – Springfield, Mass., Boston, Fairfax, Va., Norfolk, Va.; Tuesday – Miami. (President Bill Clinton has a Texas swing today in Houston, Fort Worth and San Antonio.)
Bernie Sanders: Today – Minneapolis; Milton, Mass. Tuesday – Essex Junction, Vt.
The headlines, first from Alabama:
U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions endorsed Donald Trump – his first senatorial endorsement. Sessions is one of the most conservative members of the Senate and shares Trump's hard-line views on immigration and trade. From AL.com:
When Trump began crafting his own hardline immigration plan, he turned to Sessions.
Even before endorsing Trump's candidacy, Sessions spoke favorably of the candidate's plan to put a halt to most immigration until more stringent criteria is put in place.
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An 18-year-old Huntsville high school student is one of 60 members of Hillary Clinton's "leadership team" in Alabama. (AL.com)
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Over the weekend Ted Cruz drew 400 people to Montgomery on short notice for a stump speech and Marco Rubio pledged to rebuild the military and space program to 3,000 fans in Huntsville – where those two industries drive the local economy. Front-runner Donald Trump dwarfed them with what he said were 32,000 people (difficult to verify, but the crowd was definitely over 10,000) at a football stadium outside Huntsville. (AL.com)
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A group of 20 Alabama clergy released rankings of the presidential candidates based on the biblical foundations for their policy views. Ted Cruz scored the highest, while Donald Trump scored the lowest – below both Democrats. (Yellowhammer News)
SEC-wide:
Donald Trump's campaign made a late, rare $1.6 million television advertising buy across Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia and Arkansas. (CNN)
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Ted Cruz built his campaign for months on a Southern strategy and doing well on March 1. Heading into the votes, that firewall has all but crumbled as he trails everywhere except his home state. (Dallas Morning News)
Texas:
NBC/Wall Street Journal poll – Ted Cruz 39, Donald Trump 26, Marco Rubio 16; Hillary Clinton 59, Bernie Sanders 38. (MSNBC)
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CBS/YouGov Poll – Ted Cruz 42, Donald Trump 31, Marco Rubio 19; Hillary Clinton 61, Bernie Sanders 37. (CBS News)
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Hillary Clinton is relying on a traditional campaign in Texas, while Bernie Sanders is working on innovative tactics. If you believe the polls, tradition is winning out. (San Antonio Express-News)
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The Austin-area venue where Bernie Sanders held a rally on Saturday has become a symbol for corporate welfare in the area. (Austin American-Statesman)
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Some Texas activists are peeved at a late-1990s vote from then-U.S. Rep. Bernie Sanders to allow dumping of low-level radioactive waste in West Texas. (Texas Tribune)
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U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, will endorse Hillary Clinton, giving her another superdelegate. (Texas Tribune)
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Gov. Greg Abbott endorsed Ted Cruz, but said he would support Donald Trump in the general election if it comes to that. (Houston Chronicle)
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Ted Cruz's wife, Heidi, is playing a central role in his attempts to close the deal in his home state. (Texas Tribune)
Tennessee:
NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll – Donald Trump 40, Ted Cruz 22, Marco Rubio 19; Hillary Clinton 60, Bernie Sanders 34. (MSNBC)
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U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander endorsed Marco Rubio. Alexander joins Gov. Bill Haslam as the big political names behind Rubio, while U.S. Sen. Bob Corker said he has no plans to endorse before the primary. (The Tennessean)
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Hillary Clinton stumped at two black churches in Memphis on Sunday morning, emphasizing criminal justice reform and other issues. (Memphis Commercial Appeal)
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Donald Trump drew 10,000 to a Memphis-area airport hangar for a rally, joined by former rival and new endorser Chris Christie. (Memphis Commercial Appeal)
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Ted Cruz and an allied Super PAC are dominating TV ad spending in Tennessee, with more than $1 million spent. That's compared to pro-Marco Rubio spending of less than $500,000 and Donald Trump's campaign spending $200,000. (Knoxville News Sentinel)
Virginia:
CBS/YouGov poll – Donald Trump 40, Marco Rubio 27, Ted Cruz 22; Hillary Clinton 59, Bernie Sanders 39. (CBS News)
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Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Clinton family confidante, is sending a message to Clinton allies: there is no more need to panic about Bernie Sanders. (Bloomberg News)
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Republican candidates flocking to be seen with 85-year-old Pat Robertson shows his enduring influence. (Virginian Pilot)
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Marco Rubio and an allied Super PAC have bought $400,000 worth of TV time in Virginia, while Hillary Clinton has spent $360,000. Donald Trump has made token buys, and a Super PAC attacking Trump is on radio in Central Virginia. (Free Lance-Star)
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Stumping in the Richmond area, Marco Rubio called Donald Trump a "con artist." (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
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The Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial board endorsed Marco Rubio for president, even though it rarely weighs in on primaries, because of the "extraordinary times."
Arkansas:
The three top Republicans all campaigned in Arkansas on Saturday. Donald Trump drew about 8,000 to an airport rally, Marco Rubio had several thousand and Ted Cruz got a crowd of 1,500. (Talk Business & Politics)
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On a Sunday visit to Pine Bluff, Hillary Clinton praised Arkansas' "creative" Medicaid expansion, known as the "private option" and continued under a Republican governor. (Talk Business & Politics)
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Early voting was up about 40 percent from the 2012 and 2014 primary elections. (Arkansas News)
Oklahoma:
Hobby Lobby founder and CEO David Green, of Oklahoma City, endorsed Marco Rubio and slammed Donald Trump. (The Oklahoman)
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Bernie Sanders drew a crowd of 6,000 in Oklahoma City on Sunday for a stump speech, telling reporters he thinks he can win the state. (The Oklahoman)
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Ted Cruz drew about a thousand people in Tulsa, with the crowd heavy on evangelicals. (Tulsa World)
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