The Republican establishment is rapidly rallying behind Marco Rubio in an eleventh-hour attempt to derail Donald Trump, amid fears that this week’s Super Tuesday primaries could tighten the brash billionaire’s grip on the party’s nomination.
While Mr Rubio and Mr Trump ramp up their attacks on each other ahead of the March 1 primaries, Republican grandees and lawmakers are turning to the Florida senator as they become increasingly worried that the property tycoon could lock up the GOP presidential nomination within three weeks.
They fear that a victory for Mr Trump could fatally fracture the party and prevent the GOP from winning the White House in November. Betting markets now give him an 81 per cent chance of securing the nomination, according to Predictwise, which aggregates prediction markets.