Senator Ted Cruz scored a hard-fought and decisive win in the Kansas caucuses on Saturday, demonstrating his enduring appeal among conservatives as he tries to reel in Donald J. Trump’s significant lead in the Republican presidential race.
Mr. Cruz’s victory illustrated the doubts about Mr. Trump that still linger among the sort of traditional Republicans who attend time-intensive party caucuses.
With results still being tallied, Mr. Trump appeared to finish well behind Mr. Cruz, with Senator Marco Rubio of Florida taking third.
The Kansas results also marked another setback for Mr. Rubio, who enjoyed the support of Gov. Sam Brownback and backed out of trips to Kentucky and Louisiana on Friday to make three stops across Kansas.
Mr. Rubio won just a single state on Super Tuesday, Minnesota, his only victory to date in the campaign, and lags well behind Mr. Trump and Mr. Cuz in delegates.
