Commentators Kyle Kondik and Geoffrey Skelley, using Indiana’s esoteric nickname, wrote last week: “The Hoosier State primary on May 3 is ground zero for the anti-Trump forces”.
Advertisement
Both Trump and Cruz spent most of the past week in the state, with Trump headlining two rallies there Monday. With access to Democratic or Republican ballots for independents, Bernie Sanders may reach beyond his arm’s length distance behind Hillary Clinton or Ted Cruz may upset Donald Trump.
“You see more and more endorsements”, said Lewandowski. Cruz then moves onto an argument where he eventually settles, which is that the media – as represented by Todd – would like him to give up the fight against Trump because that will ensure Hillary Clinton’s election in the fall.
Despite Clinton’s formidable delegate lead, the US senator from Vermont campaigned heavily in IN on his message against income inequality and Wall Street excesses. There, he declared that “California is going to decide this Republican primary”. (The. 5 comes from the punishment of Florida and MI, whose delegates only counted for half because they made a decision to hold their contests earlier than the national party allowed.) Clinton now has more than double the pledged-delegate lead Obama ever had – and that pledged-delegate lead is bigger than Obama’s overall margin over Clinton in 2008.
Campaigning Monday, Cruz vowed he’s “absolutely” in it for the long haul.
The poll showed the depth of the challenge facing Mr Cruz, a conservative US Senator from Texas who is trying to prevent Mr Trump from winning the 1,237 delegates needed to seal the nomination.
Even with a Sanders nomination a near impossibility, he insisted Monday that his focus on reducing economic inequality and the influence of “special interests and the billionaire class” in politics was resonating with voters. But it looks like it’s just a matter of time. Combined, she is a little more than 200 delegates short of clinching the nomination; Sanders is about 1,000 delegates short.
On the Democratic side, Clinton’s campaign hasn’t dropped a dollar on television or radio advertising in Indiana.
Neither Clinton nor Sanders planned to spend Tuesday in Indiana. Remember this: If Trump wins, he is not assured of nailing down the nomination ahead of the convention. Cruz was favored in one of seven polls listed on the site, though, which showed him holding a 16-point lead over Trump. In a way, it was a microcosm of the insane GOP primary so far – even though Trump has been hit time and time again with negative stories and policy flip-flops, nothing has stuck to Teflon Trump. Does he reprise his recent claims that she’s playing up the “woman’s card”, or try out new lines of attack? Ted Cruz was shaking hands alongside Indiana Gov. Mike Pence when a very vocal supporter of Donald Trump interrupted. A loss in IN, though, may put a serious crimp in those plans.
A big win in IN would also reinforce the idea that Republican voters-like their elected officials-are slowly but surely coming around to Trump as he gets closer to the nomination. “It’s where he says that it’s make-or-break for him”, Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said. Watch to see if a significant share of Kasich supporters migrate to Cruz or resist such redirection.
Advertisement
Passmore added, “I think Trump is a travesty to the Republican Party”.
