WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on campaign 2016 as voters in Wisconsin head to the polls for the state’s presidential primary (all times Eastern Standard Time):
2:50 p.m.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus says the outcome of Wisconsin’s election is important, not just for the individual who wins the delegates, but to the outcome of the race in general.
Priebus said in an interview Tuesday on WTMJ radio in Milwaukee that the outcome of Wisconsin’s primary will play an important role in whether there is a contested GOP convention this summer in Cleveland. A win by Ted Cruz would make it more difficult for front-runner Donald Trump to get the 1,237 delegates needed by the end of the primary season to secure the nomination.
But Priebus says the outcome in Wisconsin is also important “on the narrative side.” He says since no other state is voting Tuesday, the focus has been on Wisconsin for two weeks and how the outcome will influence the race going forward.
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2:40 p.m.
Republican Ted Cruz is continuing his call for Ohio Gov. John Kasich to get out of the presidential race.
Cruz said in an interview Tuesday on WTMJ radio in Milwaukee that any candidate who doesn’t have a path to winning should end their campaign.
“At this point,” he said, “Kasich has been mathematically eliminated.”
Cruz’s comments come as Wisconsin voters cast ballots in that state primary. Cruz was leading in the polls, but Kasich was trying to win in at least one congressional district. The statewide winner gets 18 delegates, while three delegates are awarded to the winner of each of the state’s eight congressional districts.
Republican front-runner Donald Trump has also called on Kasich to get out of the race. Both Cruz and Trump see their chances improving without Kasich taking votes, and delegates, away from them.
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12:30 p.m.
President Barack Obama is responding to questions about Donald Trump’s proposal to cut off billions of dollars in remittances sent by Mexican immigrants living in the U.S.
“Good luck with that,” Obama said in a press briefing Tuesday, citing the dangers of what he described as “half-baked notions.”
Obama told journalists that the proposal is “one more example of something that is not thought through and primarily put forward for political consumption.”
Obama warned of the ramifications such a plan would have on the Mexican economy which, in turn, would drive more immigrants to flee to the U.S. in search of jobs.
“People around the world… don’t expect half-baked notions coming out of the White House. We can’t afford that.”
According to a memo released by his campaign Tuesday, Trump would try to cut off funds sent to Mexico through money transfers known as remittances to compel its government to pay for a wall along the Southern border.
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10:00 a.m.
Voters are lining up across Wisconsin to cast their ballots in the state’s presidential primary.
The stakes are high in Tuesday’s contest as candidates from both parties fight to win enough delegates to become their party nominees. Early polling signaled a tight race for both parties, with Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Bernie Sanders are angling for victories.
Paul Lorentz, a 42-year-old project manager for Affiliated Engineers, was in line at 6:30 a.m. in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, to cast a vote for Republican John Kasich. Lorentz says he typically votes Democratic in the general election and Republican in Wisconsin’s open primary, in order to sway that side to a better candidate.
Carrie-Ann Todd, a 39-year-old mother saddled with student debt, is voting for Bernie Sanders due to his efforts to address the cost of college.
“I’m paying more on my student loans than I am on my cars,” Todd said.
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8:30 a.m.
Donald Trump says he would force Mexico to pay for a border wall by threatening to cut off billions of dollars in remittances sent by immigrants living in the U.S.
According to a memo released by his campaign Tuesday, Trump would try to compel Mexico to pay for a 1,000-mile wall if he becomes president.
In his proposal, Trump threatened to change a rule under the USA Patriot Act, an anti-terrorism law, to cut off funds sent to Mexico through money transfers known as remittances. Trump said he would withdraw the threat if Mexico makes “a one-time payment of $5-10 billion” to finance the wall.”
The billionaire businessman has estimated his proposed wall would cost between $10 billion and $12 billion, and has argued that it would protect the country from illegal border crossings as well as halting drug shipments.
The release of the memo was first reported by the Washington Post early Tuesday.
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3:30 a.m.
Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Bernie Sanders are angling for victories in Tuesday’s Wisconsin presidential primaries that could give their campaigns a needed boost but still leave them with mathematically challenging paths to their parties’ nominations.
While Sanders remains a powerful force in the Democratic primary, a win over Hillary Clinton would do little to significantly cut into her delegate lead. The stakes are higher for Cruz, who trails Donald Trump but sees Wisconsin as a crucial part of his effort to push the GOP race toward a convention fight.
Leaders in both parties are eager to turn their attention toward the general election. Clinton would enter the fall campaign saddled with persistent questions about her trustworthiness, but also demographic advantages that Democrats believe would be magnified against Trump.