Skip to main content

Front-Runners Look to Seal the Deal with Indiana Primary

Share This article

It's primary day in Indiana and the stakes are high. A loss there could be devastating to Sen. Ted Cruz's campaign – and secure the Republican nomination for Donald Trump.

Conflict on the campaign trail is as intense as ever, with each candidate ending their campaign in Indiana with attacks against the other.

A Trump supporter even faced off with Cruz Monday, demanding he bow out.

"Do the math," the man told Cruz. "You asked Kasich to drop out – it's your turn. Take your own word."

Political analysts say this could essentially be the end of the GOP primary season.

If Trump wins big in Indiana, he'll need just 40 percent of the remaining delegates to lock in the Republican nomination. And there's no way Cruz can win without a contested convention.

According to Real Clear Politics, an average of different polls shows Trump up nine points by a margin of 42 to 33 percent.

But Cruz says he isn't giving up, vowing to compete till the end against Trump.

"There is a choice, a basic choice that Indiana has, the whole country has," the Texas lawmaker told supporters.

"Do we support a campaign that is based on yelling, screaming and cursing and insults, that is based on dividing Americans, or do we support a campaign that is a positive, optimistic, forward looking, conservative, campaign?" he said.

On the Democratic side, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is in a close race with Hillary Clinton in Indiana.

"Let us say Indiana helped lead this country into the political revolution," Sanders told supporters.

While a victory for Sanders in Indiana would be an embarrassment for Clinton, it would do little to make a dent in her delegate lead.

She's currently only about 200 delegates short of clinching the nomination. Her campaign is already looking ahead on the next primary in West Virginia.

For all the other political players, all eyes are on Indiana – the Republican primary specifically, with a Trump win potentially shifting the focus from primary season to the November general election.

Share This article

About The Author

Caitlin Burke Headshot
Caitlin
Burke

Caitlin Burke serves as National Security Correspondent and a general assignment reporter for CBN News. She has also hosted the CBN News original podcast, The Daily Rundown. Some of Caitlin’s recent stories have focused on the national security threat posed by China, America’s military strength, and vulnerabilities in the U.S. power grid. She joined CBN News in July 2010, and over the course of her career, she has had the opportunity to cover stories both domestically and abroad. Caitlin began her news career working as a production assistant in Richmond, Virginia, for the NBC affiliate WWBT