Top takeaways from the Wisconsin primary

Luke Skywalker · Apr 6, 2016

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USA TODAY's Susan Page discusses how Ted Cruz's and Bernie Sanders' victories in the Wisconsin primaries will impact the presidential election. VPC

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Bernie Sanders took a Wyoming victory lap after beating Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin, telling a crowd in Laramie their state can give him an important boost toward winning New York in a couple weeks. (April 5) AP

Tuesday was a bad day*for the front-runners in Wisconsin, as Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton were both beaten in the Badger State primaries. Here are our top takeaways:
[h=2]Cruz's breakthrough?[/h]

Ted Cruz joins hands with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and his wife, Heidi, during a primary night event on April 5, 2016, in Milwaukee.*(Photo: Paul Sancya, AP)

Prior to his win in Wisconsin, Ted Cruz’s strength was in caucuses — where his superior organization could outmatch Trump — and in primaries in his backyard, such as Texas, his home state, and Oklahoma. That suggests the rest of April won’t bode well for him, with primaries in states like New York (remember those attacks on Trump’s “New York values”?), Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Those don’t jump out as obvious Cruz targets, but then again, neither did Wisconsin. While Cruz may not have the calendar working in his favor, he represents something very powerful for many GOP voters: their last best hope for denying Trump*the nomination.
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Ted Cruz has won the Republican presidential primary in Wisconsin. The win gives critics of Donald Trump hope that they can stop the GOP front-runner's rise to the party nomination. (April 5) AP

[h=2]Bernie Sanders does the Energizer Bunny[/h]

Bernie Sanders gestures to supporters during a campaign rally in Laramie, Wyo., on April 5, 2016.*(Photo: Brennan Linsley, AP)

The Vermont senator rolled to his sixth victory in the last seven Democratic contests (seven*of*eight if the Democrats Abroad primary is factored in), and while he still trails*Hillary Clinton in both pledged delegates and "superdelegates," the fact of the matter is, he keeps winning states and could pick up another victory Saturday in Wyoming's caucuses.
Still, some Democrats are unimpressed.

Things that don't matter: Narrative, Momentum, and Expectations
Things that do matter: Math, Delegates, and Organization
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) April 5, 2016

And that's in large part because Sanders' path to the nomination hasn't become much clearer than it was before his recent winning streak. Just as Obama was able to build a delegate lead that he would never relinquish despite later Clinton victories in 2008, Clinton appears to have established a clear and possibly insurmountable advantage by virtue of her huge wins in March, particularly in the South where her margins of victory far outpace Sanders' advantage Tuesday in Wisconsin.
But Sanders has shown he knows how to win, far more than anyone expected. He also proved again he knows how to talk.*On a night when the front-runners opted for either a statement or a tweet, Sanders delivered a half-hour*victory speech in Wyoming.
[h=2]It's getting late[/h]

Hillary Clinton greets supporters at the National Building Museum in Washington on June 7, 2008, as she suspended her campaign for president.*(Photo: Ron Edmonds, AP)

It's not that uncommon for nominating contests to drag into April —*Rick Santorum didn't drop out of the 2012 GOP race and hand the nomination to Mitt Romney until April 10 of that year, and in 2008, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama battled until June. But the winners in both of those races had nominating conventions at the end of August. This year, the Republican convention starts July 18 and the Democratic convention kicks off a week later. So if either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump plans to have a well-choreographed*coronation, they better have some*very strong victories in the next couple of weeks.

WISCONSIN PRIMARYUnderdogs Have Their Day in Wisconsin Primary | 01:46Presidential campaign underdogs Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders were both victorious in Wisconsin, but both face a steep uphill climb for their parties' nomination. (April 6) AP

WISCONSIN PRIMARYWhat the Wisconsin primary means for the election | 01:42USA TODAY's Susan Page discusses how Ted Cruz's and Bernie Sanders' victories in the Wisconsin primaries will impact the presidential election. VPC

WISCONSIN PRIMARYCruz, Sanders Victorious in Wisconsin | 02:21Republican Ted Cruz stormed to a commanding victory in Wisconsin Tuesday, denting front-runner Donald Trump's campaign. Democrat Bernie Sanders triumphed over Hillary Clinton but still faces a mathematically difficult path to the White House. (April AP

WISCONSIN PRIMARYBernie Sanders wins Wisconsin | 00:46Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders won the state. However, delegates are awarded proportionally, so Hillary Clinton will still add to her total. Newslook

WISCONSIN PRIMARYTed Cruz Wis. win complicates Trump nomination hopes | 01:00The senator from Texas has made the chances of a brokered convention a little better.Video provided by Newsy Newslook

WISCONSIN PRIMARYClinton Talks Womens' Issues As Wisconsin Votes | 00:59Hillary Clinton is stressing her fight for more rights for women, including equal pay, during a New York City campaign stop. (April 5) AP

WISCONSIN PRIMARYWhat to watch in the Wisconsin Democratic primary | 01:04The polls are close going into Tuesday's primary, and for Democrats, it isn't winner-take-all.Video provided by Newsy Newslook

WISCONSIN PRIMARYRaw: Voters line up for Wisc. primary election | 00:47Voters go to the polls Tuesday for the Wisconsin Republican and Democratic primaries. (April 5) AP

WISCONSIN PRIMARYTrump predicts 'big surprise' in Wisconsin | 01:21On Wisconsin's primary day, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made a last minute pitch to voters at a diner and polling station. Though polls show Texas Senator Ted Cruz running ahead, Trump predicts 'a big surprise.' (April 5) AP

WISCONSIN PRIMARYCruz makes final pitch to Wisconsin voters | 00:55Ted Cruz made a spirited final pitch Monday to Wisconsin voters, who will cast ballots Tuesday in a Republican primary that he considers a key step in the race for president. AP

WISCONSIN PRIMARYClinton to Wisc. Voters: 'Many Feeling Left Out' | 01:37Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton told supporters in Wisconsin that she recognizes many voters are angry this year, and 'feeling left out.' Both parties hold their primaries in the Badger State on Tuesday. (April 2) AP

WISCONSIN PRIMARYCandidates make final pitch to Wisconsin voters | 01:48Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Bernie Sanders are angling for victories in Tuesday's Wisconsin presidential primaries, wins that could give their campaigns a momentum boost moving forward. AP

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[h=2]Marco Rubio is still in third[/h]

Marco Rubio announces the suspension of his campaign on March 15, 2016.*(Photo: Craig Bailey, Florida Today)

Three weeks after he dropped out of the presidential race, Marco Rubio still has more delegates (171) than Ohio Gov. John Kasich.. After winning his home-state primary March 15, Kasich has not won a state or even a delegate,*and at this point he is simply hoping to hold on for*a potential floor fight at the Republican convention in Cleveland. It seems likely if he stays in the race that he will be able to eventually overtake Rubio, but there is no way for him to catch up to Trump and Cruz. His campaign manager issued a memo Tuesday gleefully proclaiming that Ted*Cruz and Donald Trump "both effectively admitted they will not reach the GOP Convention with enough bound delegates to be the nominee."
[h=2]New York values may be yuuuuge[/h]

Donald Trump addresses the crowd during a rally at the Milwaukee Theatre on April 4, 2016.*(Photo: Charles Rex Arbogast, AP)

Trump has had a terrible week, and he has to hope he can take comfort from home cooking in New York's primary next Tuesday. There will be 95 Republican delegates at stake, the biggest single prize until California votes June 7. His campaign issued a venomous statement Tuesday saying that super PACs, Republican establishment figures, talk-radio hosts and a bunch of other bad people ganged up on him to boost Ted Cruz in Wisconsin. Cruz "is a Trojan horse, being used by the party bosses*attempting to steal the nomination from Mr. Trump," the statement said. "We have total confidence that Mr Trump will go on to win in New York, where he holds a substantial lead in all the polls, and beyond."

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Top takeaways from the Wisconsin primary

Luke Skywalker

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