We have a choice.
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But Trump was unbowed.
Most are at least optimistic about a Cruz presidency, exit polls show. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel found Sanders could win by a big margin and still only gain a handful of delegates compared to Clinton – which obviously won’t be enough to do the trick. So far, Trump has won 48 percent of the delegates awarded.
At a raucous rally in Wyoming, Mr Sanders said his victory was a sign of mounting momentum for his campaign.
“Tonight, Wisconsin has lit a candle guiding the way forward”.
Polls closed at 9 p.m. Eastern time in Wisconsin, where both parties’ presidential front-runners were bracing for possible defeat in this state’s crucial presidential primaries. Wisconsin is heavily white, has a strong network of youth voters, and is historically receptive to progressive politicians – all of which make it favorable territory for Sanders.
Clinton also held a fundraiser in New York City on Tuesday night before returning to her home in Chappaqua to watch the results, CNN’s Jeff Zeleny reported.
Clinton congratulated Sanders on Twitter and thanked her supporters in Wisconsin.
“To all the voters and volunteers who poured your hearts into this campaign: Forward!” she wrote.
While Sanders remains a powerful force in the Democratic primary, a win over Hillary Clinton would do little to significantly cut into her delegate lead.
The billionaire businessman has been on the defensive after self-inflicted wounds such as his attacks on Mr Cruz’s wife, an abortion gaffe and his campaign manager allegedly roughing up a reporter.
He sent ripples through the Republican Party, which promotes a muscular foreign policy, by declaring North Atlantic Treaty Organisation obsolete and for asserting that as president he might loosen the ties with longstanding United States allies.
Some Sanders voters said Tuesday that whether or not he could win the nomination was irrelevant to them: They would be voting for him anyway.
Eighteen percent said they’d vote for a third party candidate instead of Cruz, while 16 percent said the same if Trump is the nominee.
A Cruz victory in Wisconsin would provide the senator’s campaign, which has won only two contests since March 8 – the Utah and Idaho caucuses – with a huge boost heading into the NY primary later this month.
The meeting in Hillsboro Village did not come without controversy from Trump supporters.
About a quarter of Wisconsin GOP primary voters say they’re excited about Trump, while less than 15 percent say that of either Ohio Gov. John Kasich or Texas Sen. He would need to win 57% of those remaining to clinch the Republican nomination before the July convention. But he accused Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Ryan Haynes of planning to change that and appoint delegates who do not support Trump.
Cruz hopes to haul in all or most of the 42 Republican delegates at stake Tuesday in a victory that would further complicate Donald Trump’s path to the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination before the GOP convention.
Only registered Republicans can vote in the state’s primary, and all but 13 of the state’s 172 GOP delegates are awarded by congressional district – three for each of the 53 districts. None has so far endorsed Trump.
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And polls consistently show Mr. Trump to be the most negatively regarded of any of the candidates in either party. Even among voters who favored Cruz, 4 in 10 said the candidate with the most support going into the convention should be the party’s nominee.
