Cruz, Sanders emerge victorious in Wisconsin primaries
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, points as he speaks at a campaign stop at Waukesha County Exposition Center, Monday, April 4, 2016, in Waukesha, Wis.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., sings during a campaign event, Monday, April 4, 2016, in Milwaukee.
MILWAUKEE >> Republican Ted Cruz stormed to a commanding victory in Wisconsin Tuesday, denting front-runner Donald Trump’s chances of capturing the GOP nomination before the party’s convention. Democrat Bernie Sanders triumphed over Hillary Clinton but still faces a mathematically difficult path to the White House.
Trump’s defeat capped one of the worst periods of his campaign, a brutal stretch that highlighted his weaknesses with women and raised questions about his policy depth. While the billionaire businessman still leads the Republican field, Cruz and an array of anti-Trump forces hope Wisconsin signals the start of his decline.
“Tonight is a turning point,” Cruz told cheering supporters at a victory rally. “It is a call from the hardworking people of Wisconsin to America. We have a choice. A real choice.”
Cruz, a Texas senator with a complicated relationship with Republican leaders, also cast his victory as a moment for unity in a party that has been roiled by a contentious primary campaign.
But Trump was unbowed. His campaign put out a biting statement: “Ted Cruz is worse than a puppet—- he is a Trojan horse, being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination from Mr. Trump.”
For Sanders, Wisconsin was the latest in a string of victories that have given him an incentive to keep competing against Clinton. But he still trails her in the pledged delegate count and has so far been unable to persuade superdelegates— the party officials who can back any candidate — to drop their allegiance to the former secretary of state and back his campaign.
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At a raucous rally in Wyoming, Sanders cast his victory as a sign of mounting momentum for his campaign.
“With our victory tonight is Wisconsin, we have now won 7 out of 8 of the last caucuses and primaries,” he declared.
The results in Wisconsin make it likely both parties’ primaries will continue deep into the spring, draping front-runners Trump and Clinton in uncertainty and preventing both from fully setting their sights on the general election.
With an overwhelming white electorate and liberal pockets of voters, Wisconsin was favorable territory for Sanders. In a sign of Clinton’s low expectations in the Midwestern state, she spent Tuesday night at a fundraiser with top donors in New York City.
Clinton congratulated Sanders on Twitter and thanked her supporters in Wisconsin. “To all the voters and volunteers who poured your hearts into this campaign: Forward!” she wrote.
Sanders’ win will net him a handful of additional delegates, but he’ll still lag Clinton significantly. With 86 delegates at stake in Wisconsin, Sanders will pick up at least 44 and Clinton will gain at least 28.
That means Sanders must still win 67 percent of the remaining delegates and uncommitted superdelegates in order to win the Democratic presidential nomination.
Clinton’s campaign has cast her overall lead as nearly insurmountable. Yet Sanders’ continued presence in the race has become an irritant for the former secretary of state, keeping her from turning her attention to the general election.
While Trump has been the dominant force in the Republican race, he battled a series of campaign controversies in the lead-up to Wisconsin, including his campaign manager’s legal problems following an altercation with a female reporter and his own awkward stumbles in clarifying his views on abortion. Wisconsin’s Republican establishment, including Gov. Scott Walker, has also campaigned aggressively against the businessman.
Exit polls in the state underscored the concerns about Trump that are surging through some corners of the Republican Party. A majority of Republican voters said they’re either concerned or scared of a potential Trump presidency. More than a third said they were scared about what Trump would do as president, and about 2 in 10 said they were concerned, according to surveys conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.
Cruz has emerged as the best positioned to stop Trump from claiming the nomination before the convention. The Texas senator was poised to collect most of Wisconsin’s 42 Republican delegates.
Trump still has a narrow path to claim the nomination by the end of the primaries on June 7. But by losing Wisconsin, the real estate mogul has little room for error in upcoming contests.
Complicating the primary landscape for both Cruz and Trump is the continuing candidacy of John Kasich. The Ohio governor’s only victory has come in his home state, but he’s still picking up delegates that would otherwise help Trump inch closer to the nomination or help Cruz catch up.
To win a prolonged convention fight, a candidate would need support from the individuals selected as delegates. The process of selecting those delegates is tedious, and will test the mettle of Trump’s slim campaign operation.
Cruz prevailed in an early organizational test in North Dakota, scooping up endorsements from delegates who were selected at the party’s state convention over the weekend. While all 28 go to the national convention as free agents, 10 said in interviews they were committed to Cruz. None has so far endorsed Trump.
Despite the concern among some Wisconsin Republicans about Trump becoming president, nearly 6 in 10 GOP voters there said the party should nominate the candidate with the most support in the primaries, which so far would be Trump. Even among voters who favored Cruz, 4 in 10 said the candidate with the most support going into the convention should be the party’s nominee.
36 responses to “Cruz, Sanders emerge victorious in Wisconsin primaries”
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This is a good day for Cruz and Sanders, as America has spoken, we want an anti-establishment candidate. Now will the party’s leadership listen or will they go on their merry way. A brokered convention is in the cards for both the Dems and the GOP.
It’s amazing how delusional Sanders’ supporters are.
Well, according to the exit polls 12% thought Clinton had more honesty while 88% thought Bernie was more honest–and I can’t disagree with that.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/04/04/shadows-of-smears-past/
Definitely. Bernie’s artful smear…. Just like Republican smears.
You don’t seem to get that Sanders is basically the honest, less insane, non-racist/non xenophobic version of Trump right?
Which doesn’t change the unfortunate fact that this nation simply can’t afford a Sanders presidency.
The major difference is Sanders could pass any lie detector test and Trump could never pass any.
It’s like comparing fascists to socialists. I’ll take the socialist.
Delusional meaning thinking that the super delegates will pick the more honest person who really cares about the US. Better check off shore accounts of the Clinton’s friends first.
Guess you just proved yourself wrong.
Cruz is not the Republican “anti-establishment” candidate. Trump is. And no, there will be no brokered convention on the “D” side. Clinton will win the nomination…..
Trump even lost the vote of a hooligan like me with his insanity delusionial claim to build a 50!foot wall paid by Mexico and forbid Mexicans to bank-transfer money to Mexico unless Mexico pays up.
Plenty time before the convention for enough of the “Supers” to have changes of heart and support Sanders.
I am not a Trump supporter but there is only one candidate who has not or is not in the “establishment” and that is Mr. Trump. But, it doesn’t matter WHO the president is if we (US voters) keep sending the same people to the US Congress (both House and Senate). >90% of our congress are incumbents so do not expect anything to change until the same emotion/voter turnout is shown every 2 and 4 years as is shown now. I would add that the Republicans have had control of both House and Senate for 6 years and what has changed? Not much because regardless of party (Dems and Rep) it is party protection and promotion. Key will be which President can work with the Congress or NOTHING changes.
Good for Sanders but is it the super delegates job to select the person who has the best chance of winning the presidential race or the person who is best for the country?
That is Bernie, not Hillary, who should be in jail!
Here we go again, with your manufactured law.
Bernie is both.
Sanders win, big deal. He got 44 Delegates Clinton got 28 Delegates. She was ahead of him by 700 votes. He won’t have enough Delegates to catch her. I love the media and its bias towards Sanders.
Is it a winner-take-all state, or is it a % split???
% split is more fair. state Democratic parties are taking that route
Too bad about Sanders, Clinton’s going to win the nomination no matter what. And I wouldn’t vote for her or Cruz.
Clinton will be the better president.
I wouldn’t vote for Clinton no matter who she ran against.
Says the person who no one trusts here either.
Sanders seems Mor negative than ever. That’s bad…
No matter if by chance Sanders or Clinton gets to be President their not going to get what they promise done if the Congress is run by the Republicans. All kinds of promise but hard to keep.
Don’t even want to think as to what will happen if Trump gets to b President.
Make America Great Again
By not voting for Trump.
I support Trump because everyone is picking on him, won’t take slush money. Cruz is a liar, cheats on his wife and has that quirky dishonest grin on his face. We need a guy who stands up for the people, not a polished menudo.
Wall Street places its bets
Candidate
Wall St contributions ($M)
Total raised
Hillary Clinton 21.03 159.9
Ted Cruz 12.5 66.5
John Kasich 3.2 12.1
Donald Trump 0.024 34.7
Bernie Sanders 0 139.8
superdelegates hahaha….Just the Party way to make sure their person is elected and not the one the PEOPLE want. Democrats….bunch of crooks.
And the republicans are a bunch of crazy, hateful, lying, egotistical mess.
Sorry, but Trump will not Triumph.
Who will it be in 2020 for POTUS?
Romney shoulda ran in this cycle.
Romney is a wimp. No heart.