Sanders and Cruz win big in Wisconsin primaries. GOP decides it "would rather lose with Cruz."

Bernie Sanders had a decisive win over Hillary Clinton in the Wisconsin Democratic primary, by 57% to 43% (final result).   It helps him in the delegate count a little;  but, even more so, it gives him momentum going into the big New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticutt primaries in the upcoming weeks.   Or, rather, it continues the momentum that has built over the last eight caucuses and primaries:  he has won seven of them;   and he will probably win the Wyoming caucus this Saturday.  It's true that most of them have been caucuses, but a win is still a win.

Since the Democratic rules in most states are that delegates are awarded proportionally, these wins have not given him large numbers of delegates, but every little bit helps.  And if the momentum continues to build and he does well in New York . . . it's all good for the party and for the progressive causes that he advocates.   Whether he ultimately becomes the nominee or not, Bernie Sanders has made a huge contribution to progressivism by running this campaign.

In the Republican primary in Wisconsin, Ted Cruz won decisively with 48% to 35% for Donald Trump (final).   This is a major defeat for Trump, following a disasterous week for him.   John Kasich came in a disappointing third with 14%.

However, some observers say it was not so much a win for Cruz as it was a loss for Trump, meaning that many of Cruz's voters were simply trying to stop Trump.   And, in fact, Trump will have to win nearly 70% of the vote in the remaining contest to avoid a second ballot at the convention.

Kasich's latest poll gave him about 20%, so it looks like there was a last minute switch of his voters to Cruz.  Some are calling it a "collapse" of the Kasich vote.   Was this a tactical vote, trying to help Cruz stop Trump?   That's certainly what Cruz has been calling for.   That then suggests that a portion of his delegates might not really be his supporters and might not stick with him beyond the first ballot.  By some estimates, the odds in favor of a contested convention have now gone up to 74%.

In fact, the most quoted sound bite coming out of the last week is Lindsey Graham's "I'd rather lose with Cruz than roll the dice with Trump."   The serious reasoning behind that is that a Trump nomination would harm the party more than a Cruz nomination, because Cruz at least has a set of conservative principles and makes statements consistent with one wing of the party, albeit the fringe end of conservatism.  On the other hand Trump is a charismatic loose canon that can bring shame to the party and seriously hurt candidates on the ticket with him.

In his victory speech last night, Cruz spoke of uniting the party and the country, and he says he is the one who can do that.   I find that laughable.   This is the man who defied his own party, preferred to shut down the government rather than accept the president's proposals, and refuses to even meet with the nominee for the Supreme Court.   He is widely called "the most hated man" in the U. S. Senate.   Now he's going to unite those people?  Obviously, he is trying to present himself as pivoting to a broader appeal -- but we all know that Ted Cruz has a lifelong history of being the Ted Cruz that people hate.   For me, anyway, even this pivot just underlines what a fake he is.   He's in it to win, whatever shape he needs to take to get the votes.

Ralph