Winning 48 delegates to former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton 38, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) let his victory get to his head, much like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) beating GOP front-runner Donald Trump by 13% in Wisconsin, earning him only 36 of Wisconsin’s 42 delegates. Sanders made up little ground at 1,061 delegates, falling hopelessly behind Hillary’s 1,749. Cruz earned only 36 delegates in Wisconsin now totaling 517 to Trump’s 743, still way ahead when you consider upcoming contests favoring Trump in the Northeast and Mid-Atalantic states. Earning less delegates than Utah’s 40, Cruz told voters at victory rally in Milwaukee winning Wisconsin was a “turning point” for his campaign. Cruz insisted he could hit the magic number of 1,237 delegates needed to avoid a contested convention, despite needing to win over 90% of the 882 remaining delegates.
Heading into friendly territory for Trump in Clinton, both candidates should begin to end the nomination controversy, despite lingering questions about either candidate avoiding a contested convention. Speaking on Fox News “Sean Hannity Show” last night, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus assured that at least one of the three remaining GOP candidates would win the GOP nomination. When Hannity pressed Reince about Kasich, since he’s only won his home state of Ohio, Priebus insisted the winner would be one-out-of the three remaining candidates. Priebus doused the GOP rumor mill suggesting that a dark horse could emerge from July 18 Cleveland Republican National Convention. Shooting down the RNC’s smoke-filled room theory, Priebus dismissed the media hype on 27/7 cable talk shows. Cruz insisted that Wisconsin was the “turning point” in the GOP race.
Trump ripped Cruz following his Wisconsin loss. Citing former GOP candidate Gov. Scott Walker as giving Cruz and unfair advantage in Wisconsin, Trump complained about the GOP’s concerted effort to sabotage his campaign. “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,” read a Trump campaign statement. “It was a turning point. I believe, in this election,” said Cruz, knowing that the primaries in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic strongly favor Trump. As Trump racks up more delegates after the April 19 New York primary, the Cruz campaign might start thinking about horse-trading, especially trying to cut a deal. As the delegate math looks more bleak for Cruz, he’ll starting thinking about his future. Returning to the Senate starts looking less appealing for the junior Texas senator.
Cruz’s Wisconsin win makes the delegate math more difficult for Trump getting the 1,237 magic number before the convention. Anti-Trump forces hope to force Trump into a second ballot where delegates are given a chance to vote for whomever they wish. If Trump enters the July 18 convention close to the magic number, it’s going to be difficult to deny him the nomination. “Cruz increased his chances of preventing a first-ballot nomination for Trump,” said American politics professor John Pitney of Pomona, Calif., Claremont McKenna College. While technically true, the RNC will want to settle the score before the RNC opens in Cleveland. Whatever the RNC rules, and whatever the anti-Trump sentiment, it’s going to be difficult denying Trump the nomination if he gets close to the magic number. Cruz wished he hadn’t ripped Trump for his “New York values.”
GOP’s Anti-Trump forces led by former GOP candidate and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s Right to Rise super-PAC run by Stephen F. Hayes has poured in millions to the antii-Trump campaign since Jeb dropped out March 15, after losing in South Carolina. Joining the anti-Trump forces are former GOP candidates Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Wisconsin Gov.. Scott Walker, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and 2012 GOP nominee former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Bush pledged, over his dead body, to prevent Trump from getting the nomination. If Trump continues to rack up sizable numbers of delegates, the anti-Trump campaign should cave in. Whatever one thinks of Trump, denying him the nomination doesn’t sit well with primary voters looking for something different in 2016.
Heading into New York, Trump and Hillary put Wisconsin in the rear-view-mirror, knowing that they can’t win every state. Looking for momentum, Cruz and Sanders find themselves hopelessly behind in the delegate count with only two months left in the 2016 primary season. While Cruz has been consistently ripping Trump, Hillary started to load up on Sanders. “I think he hadn’t done his homework and he had been talking for more than a year about doing things that he obviously hadn’t studied or understood and that does raise a lot of questions,” said Hillary, questioning Bernie’s knowledge of Wall Street and foreign policy. Whether breaking up major banks or his position on Israel, Sanders falls out of the mainstream on key domestic and foreign policy issues. “Like a lot of people, I am concerned that some of his ideas just won’t work because the numbers don’t add up,” said Hillary.
