Donald Trump attracted a broad coalition of Republican voters as he won presidential primary elections in Connecticut, Maryland and Pennsylvania on Tuesday, pulling in support from young and old, men and women and those who want a candidate who will shake things up. About seven in 10 Democratic voters in Pennsylvania said the campaign has energized their party rather than divided it. Not so among Republicans – 6 in 10 GOP voters said the Republican campaign has divided the party; only 4 in 10 said it has been energizing for the party.
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Meanwhile, Clinton is shifting her focus to a potential general election battle with the republican frontrunner, “The other day Mr. Trump accused me of playing the quote, woman card”. The next primary contest will take place in IN on May 3, where 92 delegates are available for the Democrats and 57 are available for the Republicans.
Speaking to several thousand people in an airplane hangar in Hagerstown, Maryland, Sunday evening, Trump stressed repeatedly that he expects to win the 1,237 delegates needed in the first round of voting to stave off a contested convention.
“Almost every national poll and every state poll has us up 15, 20 [percentage] points and that margin is significantly larger than Secretary Clinton”, Sanders said.
Clinton’s strong showing heaps pressure on the well-funded Sanders, a self-declared democratic socialist senator from Vermont, even as he has vowed to fight on until the California primary on June 7.
“I got good news for you”, Cruz told cheering supporters at an Indianapolis rally. Whom they will vote for is unknown.
“If fighting for women’s health care, and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the woman card, then deal me in”, Clinton said.
Added Kasich’s chief strategist, John Weaver, “Our goal is to have an open convention in Cleveland, where we are confident a candidate capable of uniting the party and winning in November will emerge as the nominee”.
Republican front-runner Donald Trump was far and away the least popular candidate among those polled.
Interestingly, the poll found that former president Bill Clinton, who has been campaigning for his wife, has a higher favourability rating than four of the five contenders: with 54% favourable and 41% unfavourable. And in Pennsylvania, just one in five said they were casting a negative vote.
He brushed off suggestions made by some Democrats this week that he cool his attacks against Clinton lest he damage her for the fall.
Mrs. Clinton is expected to sweep the so-called Acela corridor on Tuesday, building her delegate count in races held in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Cruz will return the favor later in New Mexico and Oregon. “I know together we will get that done”.
“What a great night”, Clinton told a thrilled crowd of supporters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The question now hovering over Sanders’ campaign is whether he, facing a close-to-insurmountable deficit in delegates, will ease up on his criticism of Clinton and perhaps even drop out of the race before the convention in Philadelphia.
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Clinton reached out to a wide spectrum of voters, asking for support “if you are a Democrat, an independent or a thoughtful Republican”.
