The Trail 2016: When elections and terrorism intersect

by Lisa Hagen - 03/22/16 6:31 PM ET

Welcome to THE TRAIL 2016, your daily rundown from The Hill on all the latest news in the White House, Senate and House races.

The Brussels terrorist attacks have reignited the 2016 debate over how America should combat the threat of terrorism and thrust national security back in the spotlight as voters head to the polls in Arizona, Idaho and Utah.

Donald Trump called on the U.S. to “close up our borders”, which prompted immediate criticism from his likely general election rival Hillary Clinton, who called his proposal “unrealistic.”

Ted Cruz, who reiterated his call to ban Syrian refugees from resettling in the country, faced backlash from Democrats for saying that law enforcement should be permitted to “patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized.”

But Cruz trained his fire on Trump, knocking the real estate mogul for questioning U.S. involvement in NATO and criticizing his national security bona fides as he hopes to edge out the GOP front-runner in tonight’s contests and further prevent him from securing the nomination.

Whether he forces a contested convention likely will depend on whether he upsets Trump in the winner-take all state of Arizona and can turn Utah into a winner-take-all state by grabbing at least 50 percent of the vote. Undetermined at this point is what impact the Brussels attacks will have on the voters today.

Stay with us tonight for minute-to-minute updates on the results from the GOP races, as well as the latest in Bernie Sanders’s battle to regain momentum, as Democrats vote or caucus in Idaho, Utah and Arizona. It’s going to be a late night, since the races are in the West, so if you can’t stay up late enough tonight, check back in the morning on the results and what it means to the all-important delegate counts — and the possibility for a contested Republican convention.

And come back to The Hill tomorrow morning for a story on how 2010 GOP Senate nominee Sharron Angle is throwing a wrench into the Republican primary contest for the open Nevada Senate seat.

RACE TO 1600 PENN

WHAT TO WATCH TONIGHT: The Hill’s Jonathan Easley and Ben Kamisar report: Tuesday marks the latest presidential battleground as challengers look to make their last gasps in the fight against front-runners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The Hill breaks down the five things to watch including if Trump can hold off Ted Cruz in Arizona, if Cruz win all of Utah’s delegates, and if Bernie Sanders can regain momentum against Clinton.

COURTING HISPANICS: The Hill’s Rafael Bernal reports: Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are hoping Hispanic voters will give them the upper hand in today’s Democratic primary in Arizona. With 75 delegates at stake, both spent portions of the weekend and Monday courting the Hispanic vote, which accounts for 22 percent of eligible voters statewide, according to Pew Research.

AIPAC BACKLASH: The Hill’s Julian Hattem reports: The president of the pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) rebuked Donald Trump on Tuesday, scolding him for his harsh comments about President Obama.

TURN OUT FOR TRUMP: The Hill’s Niall Stanage reports: Democrats are gleeful at the prospect of Donald Trump on the Republican presidential ticket, believing his candidacy will turn out liberal voters in droves.

DOWN-BALLOT DIVIDENDS: The Hill’s Mike Lillis reports: Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the Democratic whip, said Donald Trump’s combative campaign — and the sharp GOP split over the merits of his bid — will alienate voters and fuel “substantial” gains for House Democrats at the polls.

ODDS AND ENDS:

CRUZ’S CORNER: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah) endorsed Ted Cruz for president on the day of her state’s GOP caucuses.

NO THANKS: The Hill’s Jonathan Swan reports: Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) says he has not talked to Donald Trump about serving in his administration despite growing speculation about an alliance between the two men. “I am not interested in such a conversation,” Gingrich, a former GOP presidential hopeful told The Hill.

FLOCKING TO THE FRONT-RUNNER: The Hill’s Cristina Marcos reports: Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.), an immigration hard-liner, became the eighth GOP lawmaker to endorse Donald Trump for president.

NO LIMITS: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Donald Trump said he would authorize any means necessary for interrogating terror suspects, including waterboarding.

COORDINATION: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Judicial Watch, a conservative legal watchdog has released documents that show staffers to former secretary of State Hillary Clinton interacting with the Clinton Foundation.

POLL POSITION

NOT MY GUY: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Most Republicans say they are embarrassed about the GOP presidential race dominated by controversial businessman Donald Trump, according to a new poll.

TRUMP ON TOP: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: A pair of national polls released Monday find Donald Trump holding a double-digit lead over John Kasich and Ted Cruz.

THE DAILY TRUMP

ERROR: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Donald Trump’s charitable foundation has admitted to mistakenly donating $25,000 to an organization aligned with Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. The Donald J. Trump Foundation’s contribution in 2013 is a potential violation of federal rules prohibiting charities from assisting political candidates.

TELEPROMPTER TANGO: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Donald Trump downplayed his use of a teleprompter during a major foreign policy speech. Trump surprised listeners Monday by opting for a scripted speech before the AIPAC annual policy conference. He said that he did it to reassure his audience that his policies are overwhelmingly pro-Israel.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Well I was trying very hard to get every detail.”

— Bernie Sanders, joking during an interview when asked if he could read the text on the woman’s chest, who showed up topless at one of his rallies to protest Donald Trump.

CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS

TRADE DISAGREEMENTS: The Hill’s Lisa Hagen reports: The Senate Majority PAC, run by allies of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), launched a new TV ad in Ohio hitting Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) for his support for trade agreements.

HELPING HAND: The Hill’s Lisa Hagen reports: Democracy for America (DFA) announced the endorsements of Democrats Rep. Tammy Duckworth in the Illinois Senate race and former state Rep. Deborah Ross in the North Carolina Senate race.

HOOSIER STATE SHOWDOWN: FreedomWorks PAC endorsed Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) over Rep. Todd Young (R-Ind.) for the open Indiana Senate seat, according to a release.

MONEY WATCH

MYSTERY MONEY: The Washington Post reports: The recent Federal Election Commission reports found that more “ghost corporations” are pouring major donations to super-PACs. Several groups filed a complaint to the FEC about one of these companies, Children of Israel LLC, which gave $400,000 to a super-PAC backing Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee, who has dropped out of the race. The Post compiled a list of other “pop-up limited liability corporations” and to which presidential super-PACs they donated.

WHAT WE ARE WATCHING FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW:

(All times Eastern)

Republican and Democratic candidates compete for votes and delegates in Arizona’s primaries, which close at 10 p.m. Idaho Democrats hold caucuses tonight beginning at 9. Both Democrats and Republicans hold caucuses in Utah tonight. Republicans can cast ballots until 1 a.m. , while Democrats caucus from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Bernie Sanders holds a rally in San Diego at 8 p.m. today. He’ll be a guest today on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” which airs at 11:35 p.m.

Ted Cruz joins “The O’Reilly Factor” on Fox News at 8 p.m. today.

Donald Trump will be a guest on Fox News’s “Hannity” at 10 p.m. today.

John Kasich is a guest on MSNBC’s special coverage on the Brussels attacks from 7-9 p.m. today hosted by Chris Matthews.

Hillary Clinton gives a speech on counterterrorism at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday at Stanford University in California.

TWEET OF THE DAY

Past terrorist attacks helped Trump capitalize on anti-Muslim sentiment: https://t.co/c5iuyWy7Pr pic.twitter.com/Hk0zZGYqYd

— FiveThirtyEight (@FiveThirtyEight) March 22, 2016