By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Tuesday, April 5, large turnout in the Wisconsin Presidential Primaries gave both party’s frontrunners defeats. US Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) won a convincing victory over billionaire businessman and reality TV star Donald Trump in the GOP Primary. On the Democratic side, US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) beat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Senator Sanders said in a statement, “Moments ago the news networks called another state for our political revolution, and it’s a big one: Wisconsin. The corporate media and political establishment keep counting us out, but we keep winning states and doing so by large margins. If we can keep this up, we’re going to shock them all and win this nomination.”
State Representative Jack Williams (R-Vestavia) said on Facebook, “Much to Hillary Clinton’s dismay Sanders will not go away. The Democrat Super Delegates may end up overriding the will of Democrat primary voters and giving the nomination to Hillary.”
In actual bound, won from primaries and caucuses, delegates Sec. Clinton only leads Sen. Sanders 1,274 to 1,056. Hillary has however received the backing of far more super delegates, 469 to 31, so needs only 640 more delegates to secure the nomination. Those super delegates are however not bound by anything to Clinton. If Bernie has the momentum coming to the convention then the super delegates can decide to change their preference to Sanders. There is also the possibility, especially if the Clinton email scandal gets worse, that they open up the convention and nominate someone like Vice President Joe Biden or Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts).
On the Republican side, the Cruz win greatly increases the chances that the GOP will have a brokered convention with no candidate arriving in Cleveland with the 1273 to secure the nomination.
Sen. Cruz said in a statement after the win, “Without a doubt, tonight is a turning point — proof that I (but only with your help) can defeat Donald Trump for the GOP nomination and beat Hillary Clinton in November.”
Trump has 743 delegates. Cruz has 514 while Ohio Governor John Kasich has just 143. Trump needs 497 more delegates to secure the nomination while Cruz needs 723.
Rep. Williams said, “Donald Trump continues to talk and he may talk himself out of the Republican nomination. Trump has survived attack after attack, from opponents and from established Republicans. He may prove to be his own worst enemy. The more he talks, the more support he loses. I would be more surprised than less if he earns the 1,237 delegates needed to win the Republican nomination. The later voting Republicans don’t seem as enamored with Trump as those in the early voting states. This may be one deal Trump can’t close.”
If no candidate has the required number of delegate votes to secure the nomination on the first ballot then delegates are free to change sides or even nominate a presidential candidate from the floor. With both parties there will be as many as votes as necessary until someone gets the nomination.
Alabama primary voters decisively went for Trump and Clinton.
