Wisconsin voters go to the polls on Tuesday to cast ballots in the Republican and Democratic primaries, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) are pushing for big wins. Both candidates lead in the polls, but Cruz has more to gain from a victory, since a sweep of the state's 42 delegates would make it much harder for GOP frontrunner Donald Trump to arrive at the Republican convention with the necessary 1,237 delegates to win the nomination outright. "If we do well here, it's over," Trump said at a campaign rally Monday. "If we don't win here, it's not over."
Even if Trump loses the state, though, he might mitigate his losses by winning two rural congressional districts and their six delegates, The New York Times notes. Because Democrats award delegates proportionally, a modest Sanders win would still put the nomination further out of reach; he needs 67 percent of the remaining delegates and unaligned superdelegates to catch up with Hillary Clinton. Still, a big Sanders win would highlight Clinton's weakness in the upper Midwest and add to Sanders' string of recent victories.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What does the Le Pen verdict mean for the future of French politics?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Convicted of embezzlement and slapped with a five year ban on running for public office, where does arch-conservative Marine Le Pen go from here — and will the movement she leads follow?
-
Discount stores were thriving. How did they stumble?The Explainer Blame Walmart — and inflation
-
Kaja Kallas: the EU's new chief diplomat shaping the future of European defenseIn the Spotlight Former Estonian Prime Minister's status as an uncompromising Russia hawk has gone from liability to strength
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
