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Tag: north carolina primary
Man Charged With Assaulting Protester At Trump Rally In North Carolina: Report

Man Charged With Assaulting Protester At Trump Rally In North Carolina: Report

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Reuters) – A man is facing criminal charges after police say he assaulted a protester being removed from a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in North Carolina, local television station WRAL reported on Thursday.

John McGraw, 78, of Linden, North Carolina, has been charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct, the news station said on its website. The incident on Wednesday night in Fayetteville was caught on video by bystanders.

Sheriff’s officials could not be immediately reached for comment on Thursday.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office earlier told The Wall Street Journal it was investigating why officers arrested the protester but not the man who punched him in the face.

Rakeem Jones, the man who was hit, told The Washington Post that the blow caught him off guard.

“After I get it, before I could even gain my thoughts, I’m on the ground getting escorted out,” Jones told the newspaper.

Trump’s campaign rallies are boisterous in tone, with the New York billionaire often pausing in his addresses to scold protesters and ask security officers to take them away. At a rally last month in Nevada, he said of a protester, “I’d like to punch him in the face.”

The real estate magnate is the front-runner to be his party’s presidential nominee for the general election on Nov. 8.

(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Frances Kerry)

Photo: John Franklin McGraw of Linden, North Carolina, is shown in this booking photo provided by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office in Fayetteville, North Carolina, March 10, 2016. McGraw, is facing criminal charges after police say he assaulted a protester being removed from a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, local media reported on Thursday. REUTERS/Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office/Handout via Reuterstca

Polls: Trump Slaughtering Rubio In Florida, And Ahead Of Kasich In Ohio

Polls: Trump Slaughtering Rubio In Florida, And Ahead Of Kasich In Ohio

A raft of new polls in the past few days show Donald Trump remaining on track for big victories in next week’s big-state contests.

Any potential Trump victories in Florida or Ohio would absolutely force home-state candidates Marco Rubio and John Kasich out of the race, respectively — leaving Ted Cruz as the remaining anti-Trump GOPer.

Also, keep in mind that the Republican field is now shifting into winner-take-all states: if Trump were to win these by even a single vote statewide, he would get all of their delegates. And if he’s winning these states by landslides, he gets the intangible benefit of a huge boost of great publicity and an increase in his supporters’ morale — and a corresponding plummet for anyone else.

The latest polls in Florida:

  • Fox News: Trump 43 percent, Rubio 20 percent, Cruz 16 percent, and Kasich 10 percent.
  • Associated Industries of Florida is the closest one: Trump 33 percent, Rubio 27 percent, Cruz 16 percent, and Kasich 12 percent.
  • Quinnipiac University: Trump 45 percent, Rubio 22 percent, Cruz 18 percent, and Kasich 8 percent.
  • CNN: Trump 40 percent, Rubio 24 percent, Cruz 19 percent, and Kasich 5 percent.
  • University of North Florida: Trump 36 percent, Rubio 24 percent, Cruz 16 percent, and Kasich 9 percent.
  • SurveyUSA: Trump 42 percent, Rubio 22 percent, Cruz 17 percent, and Kasich 10 percent.
  • Monmouth University: Trump 38 percent, Rubio 30 percent, Cruz 17 percent, and Kasich 10 percent.

And the latest polls in Ohio:

  • The newest release from Fox News is the first outfit to have Kasich ahead in his home state: Kasich 34 percent, Trump 29 percent, Cruz 19 percent, Rubio 7 percent.
  • Quinnipiac University: Trump 38 percent, Kasich 32 percent, Cruz 16 percent, and Rubio 9 percent.
  • CNN: Trump 41 percent, Kasich 35 percent, Cruz 15 percent, and Rubio 7 percent.
  • And from Democratic-aligned firm Public Policy Polling: Trump 38 percent, Kasich 35 percent, Cruz 15 percent, and Rubio 5 percent.

And as a bonus, there is also a SurveyUSA poll in North Carolina: Trump 41 percent, Cruz 27 percent, Rubio 14 percent, and Kasich 11 percent. This state, however, is still voting proportionally.

Photo: Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks about the results of the Michigan, Mississippi and other primary elections during a news conference held at his Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, March 8, 2016. REUTERS/Joe Skipper