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Former RNC Chairman: Republican Voters Refused To Be Influenced By Establishment

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --  Former Chairman of the Republican National Committee Michael Steele talked with Rich Zeoli on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT to review the New Hampshire Primary, noting that Donald Trump's performance was 'astounding' and 'amazing.'

One of Steele's major takeaways from New Hampshire is that the conservative base does not want to be influenced by the Republican establishment when it comes to choosing the party's nominee.

"The base is making very clear, we do not want you to manage, we do not want you to predict, we don't want you to select, we don't want you to do anything when it comes to who the nominee will be. We got this. We've put this right now in the hands of Donald Trump and if we decide later on in this process, whether South Carolina or Alabama, or Super Tuesday to change up, that's what we're going to do."

He said the continued success of Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz make that point very clear.

"The establishment has got to be reeling. I know they are reeling given the fact that their fair-haired child in Marco Rubio got plastered to fits. Jeb beat him out, which was good for his campaign. Kasich is on the rise. Whether he can translate that into a second or third place showing in South Carolina against Cruz and Trump will be important. On Cruz, what's so fascinating there was he didn't even play in New Hampshire. He understood the demographics and the numbers and the way that worked for him, did not play, spent his time in South Carolina and still came in third. He is locked in on the conservative vote, which will be a real boon for him going forward."

Regarding the Democrats, Steele compared Trump's performance to Hillary Clinton's and came away with two entirely different voter narratives.

"On the Republican side, Donald Trump's negatives are very high. A lot of Republicans claim they don't like him, but they still vote for him. On the Democratic side, what you saw with Bernie, those negatives get played out in a way in which not liking Hillary, they found themselves an alternative in a big way. I think longer term, it's going to be a real test for her to manage her likability numbers in a way, yeah, you don't like me, but I'm the only one that can get this done."

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