Rubio edges Cruz for second in SC

Marco Rubio has squeezed past Ted Cruz for second place in the South Carolina Republican primary.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Rubio finished with 22.5 percent of the vote, topping Cruz’s 22.3 percent. Both candidates finished well behind winner Donald Trump, who had 32.5 percent.

{mosads}The two freshman senators have been angling for position behind Trump, hoping to emerge as the consensus alternative to the GOP front-runner.

Cruz won the Iowa caucuses and finished ahead of Rubio in New Hampshire.

But Rubio will get new life after finishing ahead of Cruz in South Carolina. Cruz was once considered to have the inside track on the state due to its strong contingent of evangelical voters.

Rubio will get a further boost with Jeb Bush having bowed out of the race. Rubio and John Kasich are the last two mainstream conservatives standing. After a strong second place showing in New Hampshire, Kasich is headed for a fifth place finish in South Carolina.

The third-place finish is a disappointing showing for Cruz. The Texas senator’s organization and evangelical support made him a sleeper pick to challenge Trump atop the polls on election day, but instead he was surpassed by a late-surging Rubio.

Rubio came on strong in the end, with his high profile supporters in the state — Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott and Rep. Trey Gowdy — hitting the trail for him.

Both Rubio and Cruz are playing catch-up to Trump, who will take a strong majority — and potentially all — of South Carolina’s 50 delegates.

This story was updated on Feb. 21 at 7:21 a.m.