So picking Rubio as his VP running-mate would probably help clinch a state he'd be expected to win in any event; with the effect of merely narrowing his defeat in the electoral college vote.
Party affiliations of early voters in Ohio have not been made public, but a decline in the percentage who are African American compared with 2012 gave supporters of Donald Trump cause for optimism that the Republican nominee would be able to clinch the state.
The pick followed a stunning year on the field for Rodriguez, who scored Costa Rica's first-ever Women's World Cup goal this summer and the goal that clinched Penn State's first national championship before winning college soccer's women's player of the year award this fall. .
No Republican has ever been elected president without winning Ohio, which has 18 of the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch victory in the state-by-state race for the White House.
PURDUE 64, PENN STATE 60 No. 7 Purdue won at Penn State to clinch a share of its first Big Ten Conference title in 14 years.
The governor, Roberto Madrazo Pintado, had hoped that a victory in his home state would clinch the support he needs to become the party's next national president.
STANFORD 65 ARIZONA STATE 57 Casey Jacobsen scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half as No. 2 Stanford (26-3, 15-3 Pac-10) overcame a sloppy start to beat host Arizona State and clinch a share of its second straight Pac-10 title.
As the victory was clinched, Joseph M. Kyrillos Jr., the state Republican chairman, praised the runner-up, State Senator Diane Allen, for her hard campaign, but did not mention the other candidate, State Senator John Matheussen.
PENN ST. 92, MINNESOTA 43 Andrea Garner had 20 points and No. 6 Penn State clinched the Big Ten title.
Hours before the Hamas official said an agreement had been clinched, Egypt's state media quoted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi as saying "that the farce of Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip will end on Tuesday" Mursi said, according to the reports, that "efforts to conclude a truce between the Palestinian and Israeli sides will produce positive results in the next few hours".
But Trump swept his opponents before him in the Hoosier State, clinching 53% of the votes and almost all the delegates as his strident attacks on free trade agreements and immigration appeared to resonate in a midwest state hit hard by globalisation.
