It’s “Western Tuesday” Eve and Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich are battling for a win in Utah and Arizona, the latter being a winner-take-all contest. Polls out of Utah show Trump trailing Cruz by double digits. All five presidential candidates will take place in “The Final Five” event on CNN Monday night, where they will be individually interviewed by Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer. Most of the candidates, except Bernie Sanders, will attend and speak at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Monday.
Republican Primary
Donald Trump: Trump is in Washington, D.C. Monday to meet with congressional Republicans. Polls show him trailing in Utah, where he has only amassed 11 percent support. He is, however, ahead in Arizona, where he gained the support of both Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former Gov. Jan Brewer. Meanwhile, Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is reportedly guilty of another physical altercation. Off the campaign trail, Trump’s family had a few scares this past weekend. His son Eric and his sister received threatening letters, the first of which contained a mysterious white powder. The FBI is now investigating the incident.
Ted Cruz: Cruz appears to be way in front in Utah. Yet, John Kasich may play somewhat of a spoiler role and prevent Cruz from getting 50 percent of the vote and taking all the state delegates. That’s why the senator is warning voters that a vote for Kasich is a vote for Trump. Mitt Romney is also urging people to choose Cruz in order to stop Trump. Cruz has also surpassed Kasich in fundraising.
John Kasich: Kasich is still confident that the 2016 race will end in a contested convention in Cleveland. Trump “will not have enough delegates” to secure the nomination before then, the governor insisted on Monday.
Democratic Primary
For the second month in a row, Sen. Bernie Sanders outraised Hillary Clinton in fundraising. The former secretary of state spoke at AIPAC in Washington, D.C. on Monday, where she claimed to be a strong supporter of Israel and criticized Trump for claiming to be “neutral” in the hostile situation between Israel and Palestine. Sanders did not attend the conference. Polls out of Arizona give Clinton a 30-point lead, yet Sanders has a small lead in Idaho and is closing in in Utah.
Delegate Count
Primary/Debate schedule:
Monday, March 21 – All five remaining presidential candidates will participate in “The Final Five” on CNN from 8 to 11 p.m.
Tuesday, March 22 – Primaries in Utah, American Samoa (R convention), Arizona, Idaho Caucus (D).