Follow Townhall’s Indiana primary coverage tonight starting at 6 p.m.
The Hoosier State has produced some of the most controversial exchanges yet on the 2016 campaign trail. Knowing how important a win in Indiana is for momentum’s sake, Ted Cruz couldn’t hide his emotions this week on the campaign trail, clashing with a Trump supporter and unleashing his harshest words yet for “pathological liar” Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders is crying foul over what he sees as a “rigged” Democratic primary process that has left him without a prayer in the superdelegate tally.
Republican Primary
Donald Trump: The businessman is leading by 15 points in the Hoosier State over Cruz, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. “If we win Indiana, it’s over,” he said. Trump's expected win doesn’t mean he's about to let his opponents off the hook. On Tuesday, Trump accused Cruz’s father of helping John F. Kennedy’s assassin Lee Harvey Oswald after reports that he was pictured with him before he pulled the trigger. Trump also criticized Cruz for not helping Carly Fiorina back on her feet after she fell off a stage on Monday. Looking forward, Trump’s campaign is adopting a new strategy and is spending thousands of dollars in ads in Nebraska.
Ted Cruz: Cruz unloaded on Trump at a press conference in Indiana Tuesday, calling him a “pathological liar” and "narcissistic" and urging voters to “think about their children before voting for the bullying businessman. A day earlier, the senator spent several minutes trying to convince a Trump voter that Trump was not as conservative as he thinks and that he’s “lying” to them. Ahead of the tallied votes on Tuesday, Cruz’s campaign released a 2-minute web ad called “#ChooseCruzinIndiana, featuring his wife Heidi, Gov. Mike Pence, and Cruz's vice presidential pick Carly Fiorina.
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John Kasich: With the entertaining battle between Trump and Cruz, Kasich has been largely left out of the Indiana headlines this week. The governor's own state of Ohio has indicated they want him to drop out of the 2016 race.
Democratic Primary
Hillary Clinton: Clinton’s nightmare came true on Monday in West Virginia when a laid off coal worker confronted her with the controversial coal comments she made in March. At a CNN town hall, she proudly promised she would put coal miners and businesses out of country. She is trying to escape those remarks, now claiming they were taken “out of context.” Before the primary officially enters coal country, Clinton has a competitive race in Indiana. Currently, she is ahead by an average of just 4 points.
Bernie Sanders: Sanders is still ranting about the DNC “rigged” primary process, but Debbie Wasserman Schultz insists his assessment is wrong. He is far behind in the super delegate count, but Democrats don’t want him to hang up his hat just yet. In a new poll, almost 60 percent say they want the senator to stay in the race until a potential contested convention, which Sanders is convinced will happen.
Delegate Count
Republicans
Trump - 996
Cruz - 565
Kasich - 153
Democrats
Clinton - Pledged delegates: 1,645; Superdelegates: 520
Sanders - Pledged delegates: 1,318; Superdelegates: 39
Primary Schedule
Tuesday - D/R Indiana primaries
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