US election 2016: Donald Trump accuses Ted Cruz of fraud in Iowa caucus and demands revote
Donald Trump is no longer content with the results of the Iowa Caucus and is making his feelings known. The Republican presidential frontrunner is accusing caucus winner Ted Cruz of "fraud" and is demanding a new election.
Just two days after congratulating Cruz during his concession speech, Trump Tweeted his real feelings about the results. "Ted Cruz didn't win Iowa, he illegally stole it. That is why all the polls were so wrong any [sic] why he got more votes than anticipated. Bad!" the real estate mogul wrote in a now-deleted tweet. According to Politico, the tweet was quickly replaced by another that did not contain the word "illegally".
He later tweeted: "Based on the fraud committed by Senator Ted Cruz during the Iowa Caucus, either a new election should take place or Cruz results nullified." In an interview with Boston Herald Radio, Trump also tossed around the idea that he would sue. "I probably will," he said. "What he did is unthinkable."
Trump also attacked Cruz for spreading rumours that fellow Republican Ben Carson was dropping out of the race and for allegedly sending out a "voter violation certificate to thousands of voters". He tweeted: "Many people voted for Cruz over Carson because of this Cruz fraud". Trump added, "The Voter Violation certificate gave poor marks to the unsuspecting voter (grade of F) and told them to clear it up by voting for Cruz. Fraud".
Cruz's campaign appeared to take Trump's accusations with a dash of humour, according to CNN. "Reality hit the reality TV star in Iowa, so nobody is talking about him now, so he's trying to regain some attention on Twitter," Cruz communications director Rick Tyler told CNN. "There are Twitter addition support groups, so he should seek out his local chapter."
Cruz himself took to Twitter to fight back, calling out the bombastic frontrunner for throwing another "#Trumpertantrum". He added: "My girls are 5 and 7...[and they're] better behaved than a presidential candidate who responds by insulting everyone everyday".
Despite Trump's complaints, the two candidates must now put their focus on the New Hampshire primary on 9 February. Three New Hampshire Republican primary polls reveal Trump is leading Cruz 3-1. The most recent, by UMass/7News, has Trump ahead of Cruz by 24 points, 38% to 14%. Cruz is followed closely behind by third place Iowa caucus winner Marco Rubio with 12%.
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