Florida candidates hopeful — and desperate

Iowa had its big moment Monday, now most national politicians probably will fly over it for the next four years.

The Iowa caucuses are hardly a predictor of what lies ahead. History shows plenty of past Iowa winners on the heap of also-rans. Still, for Florida’s five presidential candidates, Iowa shaped the race out of the starting gate.

Some, like Sen. Marco Rubio, got a big boost. Others, like Mike Huckabee, who lives east of Destin, ended his bid. Jeb Bush, Ben Carson and Donald Trump? Well, let’s just say they “failed to meet expectations,” which is never a good thing in politics

A big takeaway from Iowa was the turnout. A record180,000 Republican voters showed up. So did about 171,000 Democrats. Given the importance of turnout, the Republicans appear to have The Big Mo.

Now, the nation’s eyes turn to New Hampshire, which holds the nation’s first actual primary next Tuesday.

Here’s howwe see it:

Marco Rubio. He came in third in Iowa, whichwas expected. Then he delivered a speech that sounded as though he’d won. He didn’t, but he did outperform polls that predicted he’d get 15 percent of the vote. Instead, he secured 23 percent, running neck-and-neck with former front-runner Trump. With this start, Rubio turned the Republican primary into a three-man race with Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who won Iowa.

As in Iowa, expect Rubio to be attacked plenty over the next few days. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who finished tenth, questioned Rubio’s toughness Tuesday, calling him “a boy in a bubble.” Also expect Rubio to pick up a lot of donors and political support in the next few days because many see him as the mainstream GOP candidate who can win in November.

Rubio obviously had a much better night in Iowa than …

Donald Trump. All you need to know about this part-time resident of Palm Beach was on the front page of the New York Daily News. There, a front-page headline said: “Dead Clown Walking,” over a clownish photo of Trump.

Trump brought the ridicule on himself, boasting about leading in all the polls. He later said hewas pleased with his secondplace finish because nobody thought he could dowell in conservative Iowa. Tuesday, he whined on Twitter that “the media has not covered my long-shot great finish in Iowa fairly.” Please. Has the television media given anyone more coverage than Trump? Not by a long shot.

Trump hurt himself by failing to show up for that last debate. Though he is polling well in New Hampshire, the glow is off the man who has led the field for months, despite insulting anybody in hisway. He said he needed a big turnout in Iowa. He got a record turnout. But a lot of those who liked his brashness obviously had second thoughts about giving him the codes to nuclear devices.

Still, Trump has more cause for optimism than …

Jeb Bush. According to The Weekly Standard, the former Florida governor’s campaign and his friendly super PAC spent $14.9 million in Iowa, more than any other candidate. That money buys a lot of television time in Iowa. Even still, Bush finished a shocking sixth, with 2.8 percent of the vote.

Ayear ago, Bush was the presumptive Republican nominee. Now, he’s struggling for his political life. It’s possible he might wind up playing golf with …

Mike Huckabee. The Northwest Florida resident is liked by a lot of people, but his time has come and gone. Hewon in Iowa eight years ago, which tells you something about Iowa’s long-term impact.

After finishing ninth with 2 percent support, he suspended his campaign. Now, Huckabee can relax and notworry about a thing, as opposed to …

Ben Carson. The retired West Palm Beach neurosurgeon is still in the race, although you couldn’t tell by his actions. After finishing a distant fourth in Iowa, he returned to Florida rather than head straight to New Hampshire.

Despite rumors to the contrary, his campaign said Carson is still in the race and only returned home to “get a fresh set of clothes.” His campaign couldn’t find a dry cleaners or department stores anywhere closer?

The winnowing is underway, and New Hampshire will inflict more cuts. How many Florida candidates survive remains questionable.

But know this about what happens when Florida holds its March 15 primary: This time, Florida’s primary is winner-take-all. No more divvying up our 99 delegates proportionately. State lawmakers made the change to make Florida’s vote count. Some suspect it also had to do with Bush possibly being on the ticket.

So Iowa spoke first. New Hampshire will speak strongly. But when it comes to Florida, we’ll carry the big stick.