Republican hopeful Ted Cruz hails 'turning point' after crushing victory over Trump

Big win: Republican Ted Cruz
AP
Daniel Bates6 April 2016

Ted Cruz won a thumping victory over Donald Trump in the Wisconsin presidential election - and hailed a “turning point” in campaign.

The Texas Senator said his 13 point victory over the billionaire, beyond what the polls predicted, was the beginning of the end for his rival.

Mr Trump hit back in a bitter statement and said that Mr Cruz was a “Trojan horse being used by the (Republican) party bosses” to steal the nomination from him.

In the Democratic race Bernie Sanders comfortably beat Hillary Clinton and added to the momentum of his campaign.

He claimed that he had a “path towards the White House” and said that Mrs Clinton was getting “nervous” that he might beat her.

Despite the victories Mr Cruz and Mr Sanders face uphill battles as their respective rivals have a massive lead in the number of delegates, who will elect their party’s candidate.

Wisconsin was seen as a crucial test for Mr Trump who outraged America last week when he said women who have abortions should undergo “some sort of punishment”.

His off the cuff remark went too far even for him and came after he angered the Republican establishment by going back on a pledge to back the nominee if it wasn’t him.

With 99 per cent of Wisconsin districts reporting, Mr Cruz had 48 per cent compared to Mr Trump on 35 per cent.

In Mr Cruz’s victory speech he quoted Winston Churchill and referred to President John F Kennedy and claimed he was winning because he was “uniting the Republican party”.

He said that his win last week in Utah followed by Wisconsin showed that the “national political terrain (has) begun to change”.

Mr Cruz said: “Tonight Wisconsin has lit a candle guiding the way forward. Tonight we once again have hope for the future.

“Tonight is about unity and tonight is about hope.”

He finished his speech by saying: “Hillary: get ready, here we come.”

The fighting between Mr Cruz and Mr Trump has been especially bitter in recent weeks.

Mr Trump has made repeated attacks on Mr Cruz’s wife Heidi and Tweeted unflattering pictures of her alongside glamorous shots of his own wife Melania, a former model.

Last night Mr Cruz pulled Heidi on stage and said: “I may be biased, but isn’t she going to make an amazing First Lady?”

He said: “She’s the child of missionaries, my best friend in the world, a loving mum and every day she’s teaching our daughters that strong women can accomplish anything in the United States.”

More than $2 million was spent on attack adverts against Mr Trump in the state of Wisconsin alone as his enemies in the Republican party ganged up against him.

In his statement the real estate mogul lashed out and said that he had suffered the ‘onslaught of the establishment’ and that Mr Cruz had the “entire party apparatus behind him”.

The statement said: “Ted Cruz is worse than a puppet - he is a Trojan Horse being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination from Mr Trump.”

Mrs Clinton did not give a speech after it became clear she had lost to Mr Sanders.

With nearly all districts in Wisconsin reporting, she had 43 per cent to his 56 per cent.

During his speech Mr Sanders’ jubilant crowd chanted ‘Yes he can’, a nod to President Obama’s campaign slogan of ‘Yes we can’.

Mr Sanders, a left wing Senator from Vermont, said; ‘Momentum is starting this campaign 11 months ago and the media determining we were a fringe candidacy. Momentum is starting the campaign 60 to 70 points behind Secretary Clinton.

‘Momentum is the last couple of weeks which have had us one point up or one point down’.

Mr Sanders path to the nomination remains unlikely and he will have to win each of the remaining states by massive numbers.

That includes New York, where Mrs Clinton was a Senator, which Mr Sanders would have to win by at least 60 per cent.

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