Donald Trump Is Back On The Never-A-Dull-Moment Rally Circuit

BURLINGTON: Donald Trump is back on his always lively and often combustible campaign rally circuit as presidential contenders in both parties bid for advantage in Wisconsin's primaries Tuesday.

Overshadowing the Republican race: a persistent effort by Trump's rivals in the campaign - Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich - and the party to force the nomination fight into the July convention - and the front-runner's equivocations on whether he will be loyal to the Republican Party or bolt for an independent candidacy if he feels mistreated.

Wisconsin has emerged as a proving ground for anti-Trump forces as the front-runner's campaign hit a rough patch. Trump defended his campaign manager after he was charged with battery against a reporter, backtracked from comments that women should be punished for having abortions, encountered a buzz saw of hostile interviews by conservative Wisconsin talk radio hosts and watched Cruz overtake him in preference polls in the Midwestern state.

On the eve of his Saturday events in Wisconsin and North Dakota, Cruz told a Milwaukee County Republican dinner that Trump as the Republican nominee would be "a train wreck," quipping: "That's actually not fair to train wrecks."

Cruz, who's running second behind Trump in primary contests, said Republicans would hand the White House to Hillary Clinton with Trump as the nominee, a fear shared by many in the party who look at polls showing Trump's high unfavorable ratings, especially among women.

Advertisement

The Democratic race has grown increasingly bitter, too, though it's not matched the Republican contest for raw hostility. Clinton and Bernie Sanders were set to attend a Wisconsin Democratic Party dinner Saturday night. Their attention will quickly turn to an even more consequential contest, the New York primary on April 19, where the Democratic front-runner dearly hopes to avoid an upset in the state she served as senator. Sanders, who was born in Brooklyn, can claim New York as his home state.

Bundled up in winter jackets and gloves, Sanders supporters waited for hours on the University of Wisconsin's Eau Claire campus, standing in several inches of snow, for a chance to hear the Vermont senator speak.

Advertisement

Sophomore Joseph Lehto said he probably will vote for an independent if Sanders doesn't get the nomination. "Hillary Clinton is a conservative disguised by mildly social policies" he said. "She is a more of warmonger than just about anyone."

Trump scheduled two afternoon rallies Saturday and one in the evening, in Racine, Wausau and Eau Claire. In Janesville, Wisconsin earlier in the week, a man pepper-sprayed a 15-year-old girl as Trump opponents and supporters clashed outside his rally. About 1,000 people attended the rally while about as many protested outside.

Advertisement

In an interview Friday, to be broadcast on "Fox News Sunday," Trump left open the question of an independent candidacy when asked about it. "I want to run as a Republican," Trump said. But if he doesn't get the nomination? "I'm going to have to see how I was treated. Very simple."

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)