Days until South Carolina Democratic primary: 2.
Days until SEC Primary: 5.
Reminder: The GOP candidates debate in Houston tonight.
SEC-wide – Here’s what we know so far about the closing schedules for the top contenders.
Donald Trump
Friday – Fort Worth, Texas; Oklahoma City. Saturday – Bentonville, Ark.; Millington, Tenn. Sunday – Huntsville, Ala. Monday – Radford, Va.; Valdosta, Ga.
Ted Cruz
Friday – Nashville, Tenn.; Virginia Beach, Va. Saturday – Atlanta; Little Rock, Ark. Sunday – Northwest Arkansas TBD; Tulsa, Okla; Oklahoma City; Lawton, Okla. Monday – Dallas, San Antonio, Houston. Tuesday – Stafford, Texas.
Marco Rubio
Friday – Dallas, Oklahoma City. Saturday – Kennesaw, Ga.; Birmingham, Ala.; Huntsville, Ala.; Bentonville, Ark. Sunday – Roanoke, Va. Monday – Arkansas, Georgia TBD.
John Kasich
Friday – Memphis, Tenn. Saturday – Nashville, Tenn.; Knoxville, Tenn. Monday – Plymouth, Mass.; Castleton, Vt.
Ben Carson
Friday – Nashville, Tenn.; Saturday – Irving, Texas; Frisco, Texas. Sunday -- Memphis, Tenn.
Hillary Clinton
Today – Kingstree, S.C.; Florence, S.C.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; North Charleston, S.C. Friday – Atlanta. Saturday -- Birmingham, Ala. Sunday – Pine Bluff, Ark.
Bernie Sanders
Today – Berea, Ohio; Flint, Mich.; Chicago; Friday – Hibbing, Minn.; Orangeburg, S.C.
Texas – A quintet of polls out Wednesday don't exactly agree. WFAA-TV Dallas has Donald Trump and Ted Cruz tied at 32, an Austin American Statesman poll has Cruz at 38 and Trump at 26, a Houston Public Media poll has Cruz at 35 and Trump at 20, a KTVT-TV Dallas poll has Cruz at 33 and Trump at 25 and an Emerson College poll has Cruz at 29, Trump at 28 and Marco Rubio – trailing badly in the other surveys – making a charge at 25.
A point of consensus: Hillary Clinton has a big lead over Bernie Sanders in all of the polls that included Democrats.
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Gov. Greg Abbott endorsed Ted Cruz, a move that is seen as a marginal boost to his chances. (Houston Chronicle)
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Ted Cruz said he would pardon the anti-abortion activist indicted for his role in undercover videos at a Houston Planned Parenthood, even though the activist was not charged with a federal crime so hypothetical President Cruz would have no jurisdiction. (Dallas Morning News)
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At a campaign stop in Houston, Marco Rubio went after Donald Trump – not Ted Cruz. (Dallas Morning News)
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Ted Cruz and Ben Carson appeared together at a Houston GOP dinner. Cruz declared Tuesday "the most important day of the entire election cycle." (Houston Chronicle)
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Alabama – Ted Cruz pulled out of a weekend forum in Birmingham, a possible sign of his lagging campaign in the South. Marco Rubio said he will still attend. (Yellowhammer News)
Tennessee – Early voting smashed records, up 16 percent from 2008. Republican primary early voters outnumbered Democrats two-to-one. (Nashville Scene)
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U.S. Sen. Bob Corker said Tuesday will be a "highly definitive day" in the presidential race, but he is not planning an endorsement. (Roll Call)
Virginia – Of all the governors of Super Tuesday states, none is more invested in the outcome than Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a longtime Clinton family confidante and fundraiser. (Associated Press)
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Bill Clinton called Virginia a must-win for his wife while campaigning in Richmond. (NBC 29)
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In a sit-down with Pat Robertson in Virginia Beach, Donald Trump said he would "get somebody political" as his vice president, in order to help pass health care legislation and other things. In a Supreme Court justice, Trump wants somebody "pro-life" and "very, very smart." (Virginian Pilot)
Arkansas – Gov. Asa Hutchinson, now backing Marco Rubio, called Donald Trump's rhetoric "frightening." (KUAR-FM)
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Ted Cruz rolled out endorsements from Secretary of State Mark Martin and 18 state legislators. (Talk Business & Politics)
Oklahoma – Oklahoman Poll: Donald Trump 29, Marco Rubio 21, Ted Cruz 20. Rubio overtook Cruz for second in the past week. (The Oklahoman)
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Bernie Sanders packed an enthusiastic crowd of 6,500 into a Tulsa convention center, with another 2,000 waiting in line and unable to get in. (Tulsa World)
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Insurance Commissioner John Doak endorsed Ted Cruz. (The McCarville Report)
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