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Wisconsin primary: Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders see their victories as campaign pivot points

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Follow live updates tonight for both Democratic and Republican races in the Wisconsin primary.

  • Ted Cruz wins Republican primary, a setback for Donald Trump
  • Trump claims Cruz illegally coordinated with supporters but produces no evidence
  • Bernie Sanders gets a boost with Wisconsin win
  • Four in 10 Republican voters surveyed in Wisconsin say they’d be “scared” of a Trump presidency
  • Catch up with the results here

Bernie Sanders touts momentum after Wisconsin win

A triumphant Bernie Sanders claimed momentum in the Democratic presidential race Tuesday, placing his victory in Wisconsin among a series of recent victories that he said would thrust him toward the nomination.

Sanders, speaking at a rally in Laramie, Wyo., in advance of the state’s Democratic caucuses Saturday, made no reference to his lag in delegates behind his rival, Hillary Clinton.

In fact, he made minimal references to Clinton at all, sticking primarily to his stump speech and sneaking in a few jabs at GOP front-runner Donald Trump.

But momentum was the constant refrain of his speech, noting -- as he often does -- how far behind in the polls he was when the campaign first began.

“We have now won seven out of eight of the last caucuses and primaries,” Sanders said. “We have won almost all of them with overwhelming landslide numbers.”

Sanders subtly mocked those who criticize his major campaign plans -- such as tuition-free public college and a national single-payer healthcare system -- as “unrealistic.”

He noted that the push for a $15 minimum wage would have sounded “crazy” just a few years ago, but the advocacy campaign for a higher wage notched a series of victories, starting in cities like Seattle and advancing to statewide proposals for $15 minimum wages in California and New York, both signed into law Monday.

“Yes, we can change the status quo when we think big and when we have a vision,” he said.

Sanders then looked ahead to the next major contest on the horizon: the delegate-rich primary in New York on April 19.

“Now please keep this a secret. Do not tell Secretary Clinton -- she’s getting a little nervous and I don’t want her to get more nervous,” he joked. “But I believe we’ve got an excellent chance to win New York and a lot of delegates in that state.”

He urged supporters to ignore the “corporate media” and focus on upcoming contests.

“We have a path toward victory, a path toward the White House,” he said, “and Wyoming can give us an enormous boost forward.”

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Donald Trump accuses Ted Cruz of illegal campaign tactics in Wisconsin

(Saul Loeb / AFP-Getty Images)

Donald Trump was in no mood for a gracious concession Tuesday after Ted Cruz clobbered him in the Wisconsin Republican primary.

Instead, the New York real estate mogul went on a tear against the Texas senator, accusing him in a statement of breaking campaign finance laws.

“Lyin’ Ted Cruz had the governor of Wisconsin, many conservative talk radio show hosts, and the entire party apparatus behind him,” said a statement from the Trump campaign.

“Not only was he propelled by the anti-Trump super PACs spending countless millions of dollars on false advertising against Mr. Trump, but he was coordinating with his own super PACs (which is illegal) who totally control him.

“Ted Cruz is worse than a puppet – he is a Trojan horse, being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination from Mr. Trump.”

Super PACs funded by major Republican donors spent heavily on anti-Trump radio and television advertising in Wisconsin. The Trump campaign produced no evidence of improper coordination between those groups and the Cruz campaign.

The Cruz campaign had no immediate comment.

With the New York primary now two weeks away, Trump plans to hold a major campaign rally Wednesday night on Long Island. On Friday, Trump was scheduled to hold a news conference in California at his golf resort in Rancho Palos Verdes.

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Meanwhile, some thoughts from the Kasich campaign

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Anti-Trump groups take a victory lap for Ted Cruz’s Wisconsin win

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Bernie Sanders makes appeal to young supporters

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Hillary Clinton responds to her defeat in Wisconsin

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Ted Cruz issues ‘rallying cry’ to conservatives after Wisconsin victory

Ted Cruz delivered a rousing victory speech in Milwaukee on Tuesday night, declaring his landslide win in Wisconsin a “turning point” in his primary battle with Donald Trump.

The Texas senator said he was confident he could win enough delegates to secure the Republican nomination, although he conceded he may not reach the required number before the convention in July.

Cruz said he would continue to unite conservatives behind his candidacy.

“Tonight is a turning point,” he said. “It is a rallying cry.”

He ended his speech with a message to the Democratic front-runner, Hillary Clinton, declaring, “Hillary, get ready, here we come.”

Cruz was joined by Wisconsin’s Republican governor, Scott Walker, who endorsed Cruz in the run-up to the primary. Walker is a popular figure with the state’s conservative voters, and he barnstormed the state with Cruz in recent days.

“We don’t need leaders who talk about how bad things are,” Walker said in a not-so-subtle shot at Trump. “We want leaders who are going to inspire not only our party but our country.”

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Ted Cruz: ‘Tonight is a turning point’

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Bernie Sanders wins Wisconsin Democratic primary

(Scott Olson / Getty Images)

Bernie Sanders has won the Democratic primary in Wisconsin, beating Hillary Clinton, according to news projections.

The victory adds momentum for the Vermont senator’s insurgent campaign, but he won’t be able to significantly cut into Clinton’s lead in the race for delegates needed to secure the nomination unless the final tally shows him winning by a large margin.

Democrats award delegates proportionally, which has made it hard for Sanders to close the gap.

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Ted Cruz wins Wisconsin Republican primary

(Paul Sancya / Associated Press)

Ted Cruz has won the Wisconsin Republican primary, according to news projections, tripping up Donald Trump’s march to the nomination, at least briefly.

Cruz, the Texas senator, was able to capitalize on voters’ distaste for Trump, scoring a victory that he hopes will change the trajectory of the primary campaign.

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Donald Trump set to visit California city he’s battled in the past

Donald Trump, on the heels of a loss in Wisconsin on Tuesday night, is headed to a coastal California city that he’s battled in the past.

The billionaire businessman is scheduled to hold a news conference on Friday at the Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles, which is located in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Trump purchased the picturesque golf club in 2002 and has had a contentious relationship with the coastal city.

In 2008, he sued the city for $100 million, accusing it of fraud and civil rights violations, contending that the city was refusing to allow improvements needed to maintain the “Trump image,” including a clubhouse terrace and a row of ficus trees he was forced to cut down. The city and Trump settled the lawsuit in 2012; details were not disclosed.

Trump also battled with the city and the California Coastal Commission over a 70-foot flagpole he erected at the golf club. After receiving retroactive approval for the flagpole from the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council, Trump refused to pay a filing fee for the commission’s evaluation of the pole and its effect on the coast. The feud was ultimately settled and the flagpole remains on the grounds.

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Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders have leads in Wisconsin’s early results

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Sanders slammed by New York Daily News over Sandy Hook response

The New York Daily News hammers Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on its front page Wednesday over his response to a question about a pending lawsuit by the families of Newtown, Conn., victims against gunmaker Remington.

The company manufactured the AR-15 used by the gunman who massacred 20 first-graders and six staffers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown in December 2012.

Sanders, who hails from a state with a strong hunting culture, has been assailed repeatedly for his position on guns by Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner. During debates and on the stump she has attacked his support of a 2005 law giving gun manufacturers and dealers immunity from product liability lawsuits. Sanders has called it a “complicated” piece of legislation.

Here’s the exchange with the Daily News editorial board, during an interview in which Sanders’ vague responses when pressed on his bread-and-butter proposal of breaking up big banks also drew criticism.

Daily News: There’s a case currently waiting to be ruled on in Connecticut. The victims of the Sandy Hook massacre are looking to have the right to sue for damages the manufacturers of the weapons. Do you think that that is something that should be expanded?

Sanders: Do I think the victims of a crime with a gun should be able to sue the manufacturer, is that your question?

Daily News: Correct.

Sanders: No, I don’t.

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Follow along: Live results from Wisconsin’s primaries

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Long lines at polling places draw attention to Wisconsin voter ID law

Voters in Wisconsin’s primary are braving hours-long lines at some polling places, according to local media reports.

There are a number of possible reasons for long wait times at the polls: high turnout due to increased voter interest or an insufficient number of polling places, as was seen several weeks ago in Arizona’s presidential primary.

But some outlets are pointing to confusion over Wisconsin’s relatively new voter ID law as a potential cause of the delays.

The law, which went into effect in February, requires voters to present federal, state or tribe-issued IDs. Some IDs from Wisconsin-accredited schools are also accepted.

But as the Wisconsin State Journal reports, identification cards issued by other states are not accepted; neither are IDs issued by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the largest public university in the state.

The university has been issuing separate voter ID cards to students who don’t have eligible identification.

Civic groups and news outlets are encouraging Wisconsin voters to stay in line, reminding people that so long as they’re in line by 8 p.m. Central time, they can vote.

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Wisconsin is testing the ‘Never Trump’ effort

Wisconsin is a proving ground for those trying to stop Donald Trump, among them the #NeverTrump super PAC.

The group’s strategy has been to support whichever Republican candidate in each state appears best able to stop Trump from scooping up delegates on his march to the 1,237 needed to secure the GOP nomination.

And in Wisconsin, that’s Ted Cruz.

The group ran pro-Cruz ads on Twitter, Facebook and Google for almost two weeks before Tuesday’s primary.

The group targets likely voters across congressional districts, including those backing Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former contender Marco Rubio.

“In Wisconsin, we’ve seen the tide turn away from Donald Trump,” said Rory Cooper, an advisor to the #NeverTrump super PAC. “Ted Cruz has a significant opportunity to pick up a great deal of delegates, and making it much harder for Donald Trump to get to 1,237.”

It’s a less costly approach than running expensive TV ads or get-out-the-vote efforts. Tuesday may show whether it was effective.

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Exit polls show Wisconsin Democrats prefer a candidate with experience

Voters in Wisconsin’s Democratic primary overwhelmingly prefer a candidate with experience, according to early exit polls, potentially signifying a better-than-expected showing for Hillary Clinton in the state Tuesday.

Nearly 4 out of 5 voters surveyed said they wanted the next president to have political experience, while around 1 out of 5 voters are seeking an outsider, according to exit polls conducted for the Associated Press and the television networks.

While both Clinton and her rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, both have long political resumes, Sanders has positioned himself as an insurgent against the formidable Clinton political machine.

Sanders is favored to win in Wisconsin, particularly because independent voters--who have often sided with him over Clinton--are able to participate in the state’s primary.

Around a quarter of those surveyed identified as independent, while nearly three-quarters said they were Democrats.

The early exit polls indicated that voters in the Democratic primary are anxious about the economy; just under half of those surveyed said they were “somewhat worried” about its direction, and another 3 in 10 voters say they are “very worried.” Just under 2 in 10 voters said they were not at all worried.

More than half of respondents said they wanted a continuation of President Obama’s policies, while 3 in 10 wanted the next president to take a more liberal tack. One in 10 voters would prefer Obama’s successor to pursue less liberal policies.

Overall, the electorate skews older. About 6 in 10 voters were age 45 or older, and about 1 in 6 voters were younger than 30.

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Forget deportation. Wisconsin GOP wants a path to legalization for immigrants in the country illegally.

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Donald Trump headed to California

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Exit polls indicate a tough night ahead for Donald Trump

Exit polls foreshadow a difficult primary night for Donald Trump in Wisconsin -- and perhaps beyond in a potential general election matchup with Hillary Clinton.

Republican voters were nearly split over whether they wanted an outsider in the White House or someone with political experience, but 4 in 10 said they would be “scared” of a Trump presidency, according to exit polls conducted for the Associated Press and television networks.

At the same time, 6 in 10 GOP voters were “excited” or “optimistic” about Trump’s chief rival, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who has led in polls in Wisconsin.

Most Republicans also said the GOP candidate with the most delegates should win the party’s nomination. Four in 10 prefer allowing delegates to decide at the party’s convention.

Perhaps most notable, GOP voter support for Trump shows signs of strain ahead in Wisconsin in a general election.

Six in 10 Republican voters said they would vote for Trump if he is the party’s nominee, but 1 in 10 said they would vote for Clinton, and about 1 in 6 said they would vote for a third party.

Trump had a rough week heading into Tuesday’s elections, but the trouble is not just in the candidate’s message but also his positions.

On deporting immigrants, one of Trump’s signature issues, 6 in 10 Republican voters believe immigrants in the U.S. illegally should have a path to legal status -- the highest support for that view in any state so far, according to ABC.

Trump’s core foreign policy position also had little backing, Nearly half of GOP voters want a more active U.S. role in world affairs, and fewer, 3 in 10, want the more limited role Trump has suggested.

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Barbara Boxer proposes Hillary Clinton-themed Ben & Jerry’s ice cream

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) pitched a new Hillary Clinton- themed ice cream flavor on Tuesday to Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, to balance his company’s flavor named after Bernie Sanders.

Boxer gave Greenfield a model pint design for a flavor called “The HRC” — or Herstoric Raspberry Chocolate — with Clinton standing in front of a raspberry-colored White House.

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An uncharacteristic underdog, Trump faces a key test in Wisconsin primary

(Darren Hauck / Getty Images)

Another week, another effort to stop Donald Trump from seizing the Republican presidential nomination. Only this time, the New York businessman was battling from behind.

Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary offered just 42 delegates of the 1,237 needed to clinch the nomination ahead of the party’s July convention. But with the count expected to be very close, every delegate has come to matter greatly as the race heads to California’s climactic June 7 primary.

Beyond the delegate math, there was also a sense that Wisconsin may prove a pivot point in the highly unpredictable GOP contest.

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‘Bernie blackout’ — behind the numbers that have protesters in the streets

For years, it’s been an article of faith for Sen. Bernie Sanders that the media paid too much attention to trivial distractions and not enough to the issues he considers important.

Now, as the race for the Democratic presidential nomination moves into its final phase, with Sanders trailing Hillary Clinton, his backers have enthusiastically embraced a similar critique of the media.

Complaints about a “Bernie blackout” by news organizations have become a rallying cry for the campaign.

Do news organizations cover Sanders less than they should? The answer depends, of course, on what a person thinks the right amount should be.

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Clinton braces for likely loss to Sanders in Wisconsin

(Scott Olson / Getty Images)

Bernie Sanders is expected to show once again that he remains a powerful force in the Democratic presidential race with a win in Wisconsin on Tuesday, even as Hillary Clinton’s campaign argues she has all but locked up the nomination.

A Clinton loss here, though anticipated, would raise fresh questions about her vulnerabilities and raise the stakes even higher for the New York primary later this month. The Sanders campaign is pouring considerable resources into New York in the hopes of tripping up Clinton in her adopted home.

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Stung by Trump’s attacks, Mexico names ambassador to U.S. who is expected to fight back

After enduring Donald Trump’s hyperbolic attacks for months, Mexico moved Tuesday to fight back.

Mexico abruptly replaced its low-profile ambassador to Washington with an experienced, well-traveled diplomat and put a public relations expert into its Foreign Ministry’s top spot for American affairs.

The move comes after many Mexicans have complained about their government’s anemic response to what they consider outrageous comments by the Republican presidential candidate.

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Far from Wisconsin, Clinton broadens her attacks on rival candidates

Hillary Clinton has a lot of targets these days, and at a campaign rally in Brooklyn on Tuesday, she took aim at three: Democratic rival Bernie Sanders and Republicans Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, who has increasingly been in her sight lines.

Clinton’s walk-off line here was a direct rebuke of Cruz’s admonition of what he called “New York values.”

“The values of New York are the values of America,” she said at the end of more than a half-hour of remarks.

Earlier, Clinton attacked Cruz’s suggestion that police patrol Muslim communities as “just craziness” and mocked it as unworkable as well.

“How he’s ever going to figure that out in New York is beyond me,” she said. “I thought that was not only shameful and offensive, it was dangerous. Because we all have to be in this together.”

Clinton also took on Trump for seeking to divide the country and play on voters’ fears, including his proposed ban on Muslim immigration and plans for a new border wall with Mexico.

“Peddling prejudice and paranoia is not the New York way,” she said.

She also referred to Trump’s recent comments on abortion, but to argue he wasn’t alone in his views.

“Don’t be misled,” she said. “He is saying what all of them believe. They want abortion to be illegal, and they do want to punish women and doctors. He just committed the sin of actually telling people what they believe.”

Clinton made nary a mention of the balloting underway in Wisconsin as she sought to lay the groundwork for a must-win, perhaps even must-dominate, primary in New York in two weeks.

Joined by the first lady of New York City, Chirlane McCray, and Rep. Yvette Clarke, Clinton hewed closely to the issues that have buoyed her candidacy in diverse states like New York -- criminal justice reform, gun safety, equal pay for women and economic inequality.

One of the few overt contrasts she made with Sanders was a two-fer, as she compared her proposal to make college more affordable to Sanders’ plan for free tuition. She said his plan was unlikely to ever become law, and got in a slight dig at Trump as well.

“I’m going to handle affordable college for middle-class, working and poor families. And if you’re rich, if you’re Donald Trump, I’m not asking anybody to pay for you to send your kids or grandkids to college,” she said.

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Bernie Sanders pressed on pledge to break up big banks

In his frequent attacks on Wall Street, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders often vows to break up big banks, but in an editorial board interview, he appeared to struggle to go beyond his populist slogans into deeper policy matters.

Sanders, who trails Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, came up short when pressed on whether the Federal Reserve has the authority to shut down such banks, as the transcript released Monday of the conversation between Sanders and the New York Daily News editorial board shows:

Daily News: How do you go about doing it?

Sanders: How you go about doing it is having legislation passed, or giving the authority to the secretary of Treasury to determine, under Dodd-Frank, that these banks are a danger to the economy over the problem of too big to fail.

Daily News: But do you think that the Fed now has that authority?

Sanders: Well, I don’t know if the Fed has it. But I think the administration can have it.

Allies of Clinton pegged Sanders’ interview as “must reading,” noting his vague answers and repeated uses of “I don’t know” and “I think.”

Sanders’ campaign did not respond to the criticism.

On a lighter note, Sanders was asked about riding the subway in New York, which uses fare cards -- not tokens. Here’s the exchange:

Daily News: How do you ride the subway today?

Sanders: What do you mean, “How do you ride the subway?”

Daily News: How do you get on the subway today?

Sanders: You get a token and you get in.

Daily News: Wrong.

Sanders: You jump over the turnstile.

Daily News: We would like our photographer to be there when you jump over the turnstile.

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In plan for wall along U.S.-Mexico border, Donald Trump focuses on remittances

Donald Trump expanded Tuesday on his elaborate plan to force Mexico to pay for a border wall that’s at the core of his immigration plan.

Trump, whose hard-line positions on immigration have helped propel him to the top of the GOP field, wrote in a memo that he would stop the flow of tens of billions of dollars in remittances that are sent back to Mexico each year by strengthening regulations that govern money-transfer companies such as Western Union.

Using a broad interpretation of the Patriot Act, Trump said he would force such firms to verify a client’s identity and legal status before authorizing wire transfers. Mexicans living abroad in 2014 sent $23.6 billion in remittances, most of that from the U.S.

“No alien may wire money outside of the United States unless the alien first provides a document establishing his lawful presence in the United States,” wrote Trump in the memo, using a harsh term for immigrants in the country illegally.

This proposal, argues Trump, would led to protest from Mexico, which would subsequently agree to help pay for the wall because the U.S. has “all the leverage.”

The immigration plan Trump released in August also touched on remittances, and he also reiterated in his memo Tuesday other proposals first put forth last summer, including canceling Mexican nationals’ visas and raising visa fees, along with imposing tariffs on imports from Mexico.

Since Trump announced his candidacy in June, his proposals to fix an immigration system widely viewed as broken have been castigated both by Democrats and officials in the Mexican government.

President Obama criticized Trump’s proposal Tuesday as impractical.

In March, Mexico’s finance minister, Luis Videgaray Caso, dismissed Trump’s rhetoric.

“I say it emphatically and categorically: Mexico, under no circumstance is going to pay for the wall that Mr Trump is proposing,” he said.

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Bernie Sanders draws votes in Milwaukee with strong turnout in Wisconsin primaries

In the Bayview area of Milwaukee, Democrat Bernie Sanders appeared to be the favorite candidate for president as a heavy stream of voters filed in and out of a library polling place Tuesday for the Wisconsin primaries.

Polls suggest the Vermont senator could score another victory over rival Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin, a setback for the former New York senator as she prepares for the next primary, April 19 in her home state.

Thrift store cashier Peggy McNulty, 57, cast her ballot for Clinton, the Democrat she sees as best prepared to be president.

“She seems more caring, more concerned about the welfare of women and the state of the economy,” McNulty said. “She has experience in foreign matters.”

In Bayview, a middle-class neighborhood on the Lake Michigan shore just south of downtown Milwaukee, Republicans were rare on Tuesday.

Joanne Bischoff, 72, a retired school speech pathologist, voted for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is favored in Wisconsin over national GOP front-runner Donald Trump. But it was with no enthusiasm.

“He’d probably be an OK president,” she said of Cruz. “He’s a little overly conservative for me.”

The lone Trump supporter outside the library was Tom Podziemski, 67. He lives in Greenfield, a Milwaukee suburb, and was dropping by to collect coins from the library’s copy machines.

“He’s the person who will tell everybody to buzz off,” Podziemski said. “Trump is not the establishment’s mouthpiece. He tells it like it is.”

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Some Donald Trump supporters aren’t shaken by rough week

Donald Trump stumbled from one controversy to another in the run-up to the Wisconsin primary -- shifting his position on abortion, frustrating Republican loyalists by criticizing Gov. Scott Walker and tweeting an unflattering photo of Ted Cruz’s wife.

But for some of his hardcore supporters, that hasn’t shaken their decision to vote for the New York businessman.

Gianni Juedes, 28, of Pewaukee said none of Trump’s rhetoric means he’s unsuited for the Oval Office.

“I don’t find anything he said offensive or appalling,” Juedes said.

He also appreciates Trump’s independence.

“He’s not bought by everybody else,” Juedes said.

Voting for Cruz would be impossible, he said, because he doesn’t use the first name he was given at birth, Rafael.

“His real name is not Ted,” Juedes said. “He’s lying to you right off the bat.”

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Trump isn’t the only problem, Obama says; Cruz’s ideas are ‘half-baked,’ too

President Obama blasted some of the “wackier” ideas of the Republican presidential primary on Tuesday while arguing that not all of them come from billionaire Donald Trump.

“It’s not just Mr. Trump’s proposals,” Obama told reporters in response to a question about the candidate.

Some of GOP Sen. Ted Cruz’s ideas are “just as draconian,” Obama went on.

Trump expanded Tuesday on his proposal that the U.S. force Mexico to pay for a border wall by blocking remittances that some Mexican immigrants send back to their families. Obama noted that besides the impracticality of Trump’s proposal, some such remittances come from immigrants who live in the U.S. legally, and he also complained that it would hurt the Mexican economy directly and the U.S. economy indirectly.

But Cruz, too, has ideas about immigration that Obama dismissed as “half-baked.” Obama objects to Cruz’s plan to find and deport the 11 million or so immigrants illegally living in the U.S.

Such ideas are being proposed for “political consumption,” Obama said, suggesting that’s not good for someone aspiring to the Oval Office.

“People expect the president of the United States,” he said, “to treat these problems seriously.”

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Clinton: Primary battle has been good for Democrats

Tuesday’s primary is in Wisconsin but Hillary Clinton started the day on the New York set of “The View,” where she insisted that the Democratic primary battle has been more substantive and positive than the one on Republican side -- despite the increasing tensions on the campaign trail.

Yes, she and Bernie Sanders have their differences, but “on balance I think it’s been a campaign that’s been good for the Democratic Party,” Clinton told the hosts of the daytime show.

She also noted that she has won more than 2 million more votes than Sanders, echoing the case her campaign has been making as the race slogs on.

Clinton was asked about a range of other policy issues, including abortion and the makeup of the Supreme Court. And there was some lighter fare, of course, including what Bill Clinton should be called if she wins the election (“I think we should have a contest”) and Clinton’s favorite topic: being a grandmother.

“It is like falling in love all over again,” she said.

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Donald Trump wore out his welcome with these Wisconsin Republicans

Republican voters in suburban Waukesha, a crucial stronghold for conservatives in Wisconsin, said they were exasperated with Donald Trump as they cast ballots for his rival, Ted Cruz, on Tuesday.

“I don’t need an apprentice in the White House,” said Roger Yergens, 70. “We’ve had eight years of that,” referring to President Obama.

He and wife Linda, 68, are voting for Cruz. She said Trump’s behavior toward women made it clear that “they’re second class to him,” and she questioned his ability to handle foreign affairs.

“The way he talks, I don’t know how he would talk to world leaders,” she said.

Some voters said they backed the New York businessman at first, only to be turned off by his behavior or erratic statements.

“I was for Trump in the beginning,” said Pam Gruettner, 67. “I wanted someone to kick butt and get stuff done in the White House.”

But she found his behavior during the presidential debates “childish.”

“I think his ego got the best of him,” she said.

Carolyn Bilodeau, 63, voted for Cruz because she fears Trump would fare poorly in a general election.

“I don’t think he can win against Hillary,” a conclusion she reached after listening to conservative talk radio hosts in Wisconsin who have been adamantly anti-Trump.

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Milwaukee Republicans embraced Ted Cruz and dismissed Donald Trump

(Mike De Sisti / AP)

As Wisconsin voters head to the polls for the state’s primary, here’s a look back at a Republican dinner in Milwaukee, which made clear the party’s dislike of Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, Ted Cruz was embraced by the crowd, and he’ll be back at the American Serb Hall on Tuesday night for a rally as the results roll in.

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Trump calls his town hall abortion response ‘not wrong’

Donald Trump laid out yet another view on abortion, this time calling his response of punishing women for the procedure a “great answer” to a hypothetical question about illegal abortions.

On Monday, the GOP candidate attempted to clarify that his suggestion during a town hall last week was a theoretical answer to a theoretical situation — what he would do if abortion were outlawed.

“That was a hypothetical question. That was not a wrong answer,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity.

Amid an outcry from both abortion-rights advocates and antiabortion groups, Trump’s campaign backpedaled on that answer and said the candidate merely wanted to punish abortion providers. But Trump changed his response yet again Monday.

He added that he remains against abortion with three exceptions — rape, incest and safety of the mother’s life.

“I didn’t think it was a big thing to do the show,” Trump said of the town hall, “and as a hypothetical question you give a hypothetical answer, and I didn’t see the big, big, huge deal.”

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Will Wisconsin halt Trump’s march to the nomination? Here are 5 things to watch in the primary

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in a hangar at the Bong Airport in Superior, Wis.
(Jim Mone / Associated Press)

After a two-week respite, balloting resumes Tuesday in the presidential campaign with a high-stakes primary in Wisconsin, testing the two front-runners, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, and attempts to thwart or at least slow the march to their respective party nominations.

Of the two, the GOP contest may be the more significant, given the considerably greater likelihood of the Republican fight going all the way to the floor of this summer’s convention. That, however, means stopping Trump short of the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch beforehand; opponents see Wisconsin as crucial to that effort.

Here are five things to watch as Cheeseheads weigh in.

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