Apollonian
Guest Columnist
Indiana results: Trump crushes Cruz, nomination in sight
Hillary aims to deliver knockout blow against Sanders
Published: 1 hour ago. Updated: 05/03/2016 at 7:26 PM
Link: http://www.wnd.com/2016/05/indiana-results-trump-clears-path-to-gop-nomination/
Chelsea Schilling is a news and commentary editor for WND and a proud U.S. Army veteran. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism and also worked as a news producer at USA Radio Network and as a news reporter for the Sacramento Union.
GOP front-runner Donald Trump celebrated yet another big primary victory Tuesday and essentially locked up the Republican Party nomination.
All eyes were on Indiana Tuesday, where Democrat front-runner Hillary Clinton is looking like she will defeat Bernie Sanders.
Trump had predicted the Midwestern state would officially end any challenge rival Ted Cruz posed in the race for the GOP nomination. Cruz and Kasich had been working to deny Trump delegates he needs to secure the nomination before the July convention.
“If we win Indiana, it’s over,” Trump told supporters at a Monday rally in Carmel, Indiana. “They’re finished. They’re gone.”
Trump has won at least 45 of the state’s delegates and may take all 57.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told Fox News Sunday, “If [Trump] wins Indiana by a significant margin, then the fact is the next morning he is the nominee. Not the presumptive nominee, he’s the nominee. It’s going to happen.”
What do YOU think? Can anything stop Trump now? Sound off in today’s WND poll!
Several Cruz aides had prepared for a loss Tuesday, according to the Associated Press, which reported: “With polls predicting a loss, campaign officials were bracing for immediate staffing cuts ‘at a minimum,’ according to one aide who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal discussions. The aide said the campaign was preparing for ‘a very somber’ address Tuesday night in Indianapolis.”
But Cruz vowed to stay in the race, claiming he can endure a loss in Indiana and force a contested convention this summer.
Trump is riding a wave of momentum after his five-state sweep in the Northeast last week.
As WND reported, the animosity between Trump and Cruz reached a fever pitch Tuesday after the GOP front-runner cited an unsubstantiated National Enquirer story claiming Cruz’s father was linked to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The tabloid magazine claimed Rafael Cruz was photographed standing beside Lee Harvey Oswald three months before Kennedy was shot and killed.
Trump gave the story an extra boost on national television when he called into Fox News Tuesday and said: “[Cruz’s] father was with Lee Harvey Oswald prior to Oswald’s being – you know, shot. I mean, the whole thing is ridiculous. What is this, right prior to his being shot, and nobody even brings it up. They don’t even talk about that. That was reported, and nobody talks about it. I mean, what was he doing – what was he doing with Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before the death? Before the shooting? It’s horrible.”
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Cruz responded to Trump’s “kooky” attack, calling the GOP front-runner a “pathological liar,” an “utterly amoral bully” and a “narcissist” who essentially makes President Obama look like an amateur by comparison.
Cruz told reporters Tuesday morning at a campaign stop in Evansville, Indiana, with his wife Heidi and running mate Carly Fiorina by his side, that Trump “went on national television and attacked my father.”
“Let’s be clear, this is nuts. This is not a reasonable position. This is just kooky,” he said. “And while I’m at it, I guess I should go ahead and admit, ‘Yes, my dad killed JFK, he is secretly Elvis, and Jimmy Hoffa is buried in his backyard.'”
Is he really Elvis? Did he know Lee Harvey Oswald? Find out who the real Rafael Cruz is in his 2016 autobiography, “A Time for Action.”
According to exit polls published Tuesday by ABC News:
•53 percent of Republican voters said they felt “betrayed” by the Republican Party
•57 percent said the 2016 campaign has divided the party instead of energizing it
•34 percent said they were “angry” and 50 percent said they were “dissatisfied” with the federal government
•39 percent said the economy/jobs is the top issue facing the nation, and 28 percent said the top issue is government spending
The next primaries will take place in Nebraska and West Virginia on May 10.
Results will be updated below as they come in. Polls close at 6 p.m. local time (which is Eastern time for much of Indiana but Central time for western portions of the state).
Indiana Republican Primary
57 delegates
With 19 percent reporting:
Trump: 53.3 percent
Cruz: 34.9 percent
Kasich: 9 percent
Indiana Democrat Primary
83 delegates
With 16 percent reporting:
Clinton: 50.5 percent
Sanders: 49.5 percent
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2016/05/indiana-results-trump-clears-path-to-gop-nomination/#McibSm9sILwLjqJc.99