The Associated Press projects Donald Trump has won the GOP Indiana primary.
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Trump’s immediate challenge is to unite deep fissures within the Republican Party as many party loyalists are appalled at his bullying style, his treatment of women and his signature proposals to build a wall on the border with Mexico and deport 11 million illegal immigrants.
Ted Cruz is in 3rd place with 495 spots aired by his campaign, 254 spots bought by the PAC Trusted Leadership, while the Club For Growth Action Super PAC added 47 spots.
On the Democratic side, both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were in a tight contest. Watch how many IN delegates Trump scoops up on Tuesday night: If he claims a big share of the 57 delegates at stake, he’ll only need 42 percent of remaining delegates to clinch the nomination and crush Cruz’ hopes for a contested convention. “Our strategy has been and continues to be one that involves winning the nomination at an open convention”, Kasich’s chief strategist, John Weaver, wrote in a memo to reporters. The Indiana primary came a week after the so-called “Acela” primary of five northeastern states, which Trump swept, and two weeks after Trump’s dramatic victory in his home state of NY.
Judy Hite, a 76-year-old longtime Republican who is retired from a job at the Marshall County auditor’s office, said she voted for Trump because he’s not part of the establishment and “has some good ideas about how to clean up some of the messes the Democrats have made”.
“The country is really depending on IN to choose the direction of the race, ” Cruz said on NBC.
According to a new poll conducted by Morning Consult, Fiorina is hurting Cruz’s chances more than she is helping them.
Fiorina, a former Hewlett-Packard CEO, was the first running mate to be named by a Republican candidate prior to the GOP convention since Ronald Reagan, then California governor, did so in 1976.
The Vermont senator remains far behind the former secretary of state in the delegate count. Sanders has a 12-point lead over Clinton. This is only possible if Trump fails to win the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination. And they favor Clinton by a almost 18-1 margin. “It’s finished. They’re gone”, Trump said at a rally Monday in Carmel, Ind., north of Indianapolis.
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Even Cruz’s truce with Ohio Gov. John Kasich for IN didn’t get Cruz enough help over the hump. A Less-Than-Stellar EndorsementCruz hoped to replicate his Wisconsin victory in IN as both are Midwestern states with similar demographics. Because of the significant gap in delegates, convention mathematics still heavily favored Clinton. If Trump can run up a big win, as recent polls suggest he may, in the statewide race, he would be in a strong position to sweep all 57 delegates.
