This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/05/ted-cruz-crushes-donald-trump-wisconsin-primaries

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Ted Cruz crushes Donald Trump in Wisconsin primaries Cruz crushes Trump as Sanders beats Clinton in Wisconsin primaries
(35 minutes later)
Ted Cruz raised fresh hope of forcing Donald Trump to a contested party convention on Tuesday, beating the frontrunner in a Wisconsin primary amid signs his brash campaign style may finally be turning off Republican voters. Ted Cruz raised fresh hope of forcing Donald Trump to a contested party convention on Tuesday, beating the Republican frontrunner in a Wisconsin primary amid signs his brash campaign style may finally be turning off GOP voters.
Cruz was projected by the Associated Press to have won the important midwest showdown just over half an hour after polls closed at 8pm CST and the Texas conservative could have picked up enough votes across the state to deprive Trump of most of the 42 delegates on offer. Cruz was projected by the Associated Press to have won the important midwest showdown just over half an hour after polls closed at 8pm CST. The Texas conservative could have picked up enough votes across the state to deprive Trump of most of the 42 delegates on offer.
Hillary Clinton also stumbled on her path to the White House, losing to Bernie Sanders in a Democratic primary that marked a sixth straight win for the Vermont outsider and shows his continued appeal among voters looking for radical change.Hillary Clinton also stumbled on her path to the White House, losing to Bernie Sanders in a Democratic primary that marked a sixth straight win for the Vermont outsider and shows his continued appeal among voters looking for radical change.
The Sanders was quick to celebrate its anticipated win, sending an email to supporters celebrating “another overwhelming victory” in Wisconsin.“Sisters and brothers, moments ago the news networks called another state for our political revolution and it’s a big one: Wisconsin.” The Sanders campaign was quick to celebrate its win, sending an email to supporters celebrating “another overwhelming victory” in Wisconsin.
“Sisters and brothers, moments ago the news networks called another state for our political revolution and it’s a big one: Wisconsin,” the message read.
A more proportional system of allocating the 86 pledged delegates in the Democratic primary will limit the impact of his win on the national race, however. Clinton had a commanding lead of 263 delegates at the start of the night.
Sanders’ success comes in a state with a long progressive tradition, but one where he was once more than 40 points behind in the polls, and will renew campaign hopes of catching Clinton in the upcoming larger New York primary.
Wisconsin has long produced national figures on the American left, from progressive icon Robert LaFollette to Russ Feingold, and Milwaukee, the state’s largest city, had a socialist mayor as recently as 1960.
Related: US election delegate tracker: who's winning the presidential nomination?Related: US election delegate tracker: who's winning the presidential nomination?
With around 36% of the vote, counted, Sanders had 53.8% to Clinton’s 46%, while Cruz could boast 52.1% to Trump’s 31.2%. Ohio governor John Kasich was on 14.4%.
Both victories were in line with recent opinion polls in Wisconsin, but the win for Cruz – his ninth in the 2016 nomination race – comes at a crucial time for the Republican party in particular.Both victories were in line with recent opinion polls in Wisconsin, but the win for Cruz – his ninth in the 2016 nomination race – comes at a crucial time for the Republican party in particular.
Trump has lost his top spot in some national opinion polls and faces a difficult path to securing the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination outright, even though he is still comfortably ahead of Cruz.Trump has lost his top spot in some national opinion polls and faces a difficult path to securing the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination outright, even though he is still comfortably ahead of Cruz.
Recent controversial remarks suggesting women should be “punished” for having abortions also seem to have cemented a growing and significant unpopularity among female voters.Recent controversial remarks suggesting women should be “punished” for having abortions also seem to have cemented a growing and significant unpopularity among female voters.
And the Wisconsin defeat follows similar losses in the neighboring states of Iowa and Minnesota, a region where polite traditions of “midwest nice” do not always sit easily with his aggressive New York rhetoric. And the Wisconsin defeat follows similar losses in the neighboring states of Iowa and Minnesota, a region where polite traditions of “midwest nice” do not always sit easily with his aggressive New York rhetoric. “Wisconsin nice means we’re nice but we’re not pushovers,” said Wisconsin governor Scott Walker at Cruz’s election night victory party.
In contrast, Cruz won the state’s presidential primary on Tuesday after receiving the support of most of the state’s power structure. Influential governor and former presidential candidate Scott Walker as well as nearly every conservative talk radio host in the state rallied behind the Texas senator in a last-ditch effort to stop Trump in the Badger State. Ohio governor John Kasich finished third. Cruz won the state’s presidential primary on Tuesday after receiving the support of most of the state’s power structure. Influential governor and former presidential candidate Walker as well as nearly every conservative talk radio host in the state rallied behind the Texas senator in a last-ditch effort to stop Trump in the Badger State.
Cruz had long led in polls of the mid-western state, but Trump had criss-crossed the state in recent days, even bringing out his wife Melania in an attempt to close the gap. He even touted one outlier poll that showed him ahead, bragging on Monday night: “You see what’s happening with the polls? Boom, like a rocket ship.” However, in a state where according to exit polls only 6% of Republican voters saw immigration as their top issue and a majority said they would be scared or concerned if Trump was the nominee, it wasn’t enough. Related: How a contested convention could allow Republicans to snatch Trump's crown
Trump’s loss in Wisconsin followed one of the worst stretches of the frontrunner’s campaign. In the week preceding the primary, his campaign manager was arrested for battering a reporter and the candidate repeatedly flip-flopped on abortion after his controversial initial remarks. This combined with a series of controversial remarks on foreign policy, including saying that “nuclear proliferation is going to happen anyway” had left Trump at his most politically vulnerable in months. By the eve of the state’s primary, the frontrunner had fallen out of first place in a national tracking poll for the first time in months. Cruz had long led in polls of the mid-western state, but Trump had criss-crossed the state in recent days, even bringing out his wife Melania in an attempt to close the gap. He even touted one outlier poll that showed him ahead, bragging on Monday night: “You see what’s happening with the polls? Boom, like a rocket ship.”
The real estate mogul didn’t help his cause by repeatedly bashing Scott Walker. Trump attacked the Wisconsin governor’s stewardship of the state’s economy and boasted that he had “sent him packing like a little boy” from the presidential race. Unusually for a Republican candidate for office, Trump even attacked Walker for not raising taxes. While the attacks were well-received at his rallies, where many attendees - such as Sheila Roth of Wausau - were Democrats who had voted for Obama and against Walker but thought the GOP candidate would “be good at bringing the jobs back to America where we need them”. However, in a state where according to exit polls only 6% of Republican voters saw immigration as their top issue and a majority said they would be scared or concerned if Trump was the nominee, it wasn’t enough.
However, in a state where Walker has won three elections in the past five years, this approach did not play well with many conservatives. Trump’s loss in Wisconsin followed one of the worst stretches of the frontrunner’s campaign. In the week preceding the primary, his campaign manager was arrested for battering a reporter and the candidate repeatedly flip-flopped on abortion after his controversial initial remarks. This, combined with a series of controversial remarks on foreign policy, including saying that “nuclear proliferation is going to happen anyway”, had left Trump at his most politically vulnerable in months. By the eve of the state’s primary, the frontrunner had fallen out of first place in a national tracking poll for the first time in months.
Trump though still maintained some pockets of strength in rural, heavily Catholic areas in the north and west of the state. However, these were eclipsed by Cruz’s strong performances in the so-called “WOW counties” of Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington which ring Milwaukee. The Texas senator had counted a strong performance in these areas which had been crucial to Walker’s electoral success and provided Mitt Romney with his winning margin over Rick Santorum in the state’s 2012 presidential primary. Cruz even held his election eve rally in crucial Waukesha County, the most populous of the three, to shore up his base there. The real estate mogul didn’t help his cause by repeatedly bashing Walker. Trump attacked the Wisconsin governor’s stewardship of the state’s economy and boasted that he had “sent him packing like a little boy” from the presidential race. Unusually for a Republican candidate for office, Trump even attacked Walker for not raising taxes.
Yet Cruz’s win still leaves him more than 200 delegates behind Trump in the race to reach the 1,237 mark needed to clinch the nomination. Further, the Republican primaries for the rest of April occur on Trump’s home turf. On 19 April Republicans will vote in Trump’s home state of New York and the so-called “Acela Primary” will be held on 26 April when Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island hold their primaries. Polling and demographic data indicates that these states should be strongholds for Trump. But the Republican race still remains uncertain. All the normal rules of politics have seemingly been suspended so far, and, as Trump said at a campaign rally Monday night: “I don’t care about rules, folks.” While the attacks were well-received at his rallies, where many attendees – such as Sheila Roth of Wausau – were Democrats who had voted for Obama and against Walker but thought the GOP candidate would “be good at bringing the jobs back to America where we need them”, in a state where Walker has won three elections in the past five years, this approach did not play well with many conservatives.
Trump still maintained some pockets of strength in rural, heavily Catholic areas in the north and west of the state, however, but these were eclipsed by Cruz’s strong performances in the so-called “WOW counties” of Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington that ring Milwaukee. The Texas senator had counted on a strong performance in these areas, which had been crucial to Walker’s electoral success and provided Mitt Romney with his winning margin over Rick Santorum in the state’s 2012 presidential primary. Cruz even held his election eve rally in crucial Waukesha County, the most populous of the three, to shore up his base there.
Yet Cruz’s win still leaves him more than 200 delegates behind Trump in the race to reach the 1,237 mark needed to clinch the nomination. Further, the Republican primaries for the rest of April occur on Trump’s home turf. On 19 April Republicans will vote in Trump’s home state of New York and the so-called “Acela Primary” will be held on 26 April when Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island hold their primaries.
Polling and demographic data indicates that these states should be strongholds for Trump. But the Republican race still remains uncertain. All the normal rules of politics have seemingly been suspended so far, and, as Trump said at a campaign rally Monday night: “I don’t care about rules, folks.”