The Trail 2016: The road ahead

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 dust is starting to settle after Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton won commanding victories in their respective primaries in New York. And now Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz are trying to make the case that there’s still a path to the nomination for them.

On the Democratic side, Sanders now faces a decision about whether to continue his fierce attacks against Clinton after his defeat in New York. But the Vermont senator faces pressure to harness his attacks for the sake of party unity. 

Come back to The Hill tonight to read more from Niall Stanage about how Sanders’s top aides are responding to the blowback from the shift in tone and their plan to get to the Democratic convention this summer. 

Following a third-place finish in New York’s GOP primary, Cruz has now been mathematically eliminated from winning the nomination on the first ballot of the GOP convention this summer. But the Texas senator isn’t relenting from his attacks on Trump, maintaining that the GOP front-runner won’t win the nomination and accusing Trump of ducking from additional debates. 

Check back with The Hill tonight as Ben Kamisar, who’s on the ground in Hollywood, Florida for the Republican National Committee’s spring meeting, as he covers the RNC rules committee that could help determine whether someone other than Trump or Cruz could emerge as a candidate. 

And make sure to come back to us tomorrow morning for what you need to know about the RNC rules committee and its potential actions, as well as a story from Jonathan Easley about the help Trump is getting from two Pennsylvania House members ahead of the state’s primary next Tuesday.

 

RACE TO 1600 PENN 

DEBATE DEMAND: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus said the committee will discuss the possibility of holding more primary debates ahead of the convention. Ted Cruz is demanding more debates and accusing Donald Trump of ducking additional ones, The Hill’s Ben Kamisar reports. 

GUN CONTROL APPEAL: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: The daughter of the principal killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting is featured in an emotional new ad for Hillary Clinton. 

WALKING TOWARD SUPPORT: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said that he’d support Donald Trump if the billionaire becomes the GOP nominee. 

BEYOND THE MAGIC NUMBER: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Internal documents show Donald Trump’s campaign advisers are projecting that he’ll secure more than 1,400 delegates at the GOP convention in July, The Washington Post reported. 

NO DIFFERENCES: The Hill’s Mark Hensch reports: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, said that her organization treats Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton equally on fundraising. On Monday, Sanders’s campaign complained about the DNC’s joint fundraising relationship with Clinton’s camp.

 

ODDS AND ENDS:

NOT RULING IT OUT: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: Even though Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has made it clear he doesn’t want, and won’t accept, the GOP nomination at a contested convention this summer, he’s not ruling out a future White House bid. “Well, no, but I don’t think that far down the road,” Ryan told CNN. 

CIVIL TONE: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: A spokesman for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called for Bernie Sanders to adopt a “civil tone” and avoid attacks that would “jeopardize” efforts to unite Democrats. 

PATH FORWARD: The Hill’s Harper Neidig reports: Bernie Sanders in a fundraising email to supporters expressed optimism over his campaign’s chances to win to win the nomination despite having lost the state of New York Tuesday night to Hillary Clinton.

CARSON COMEBACK: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: Ted Cruz was handed a stinging loss in New York, getting shut out of delegates by Donald Trump and John Kasich. And in at least one congressional district, the Texas senator lost to someone who is not even running for the GOP nomination anymore: Ben Carson. 

THE NEW FACE OF $20: The Hill’s Rebecca Savransky reports: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders celebrated the news that Harriet Tubman will be featured on the $20 bill.

‘HOT MESS’: That’s how a Ted Cruz’s national spokesman characterizes a staff shakeup in rival Donald Trump’s campaign, The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports. And while Cruz’s camp likens the businessman’s campaign to his failed Trump Steaks, Trump’s toasting his NY win.

 

POLL POSITION 

TRUMP ON TOP: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Donald Trump leads his closest Republican rival by 20 points in Connecticut, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. 

CLINTON IN CONN: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Hillary Clinton appears to be headed to welcoming territory in Connecticut, where she leads Bernie Sanders by 9 points in a new poll ahead of next Tuesday’s primary. 

PENN POLL: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: Hillary Clinton holds a double-digit lead over Bernie Sanders in a new poll in Pennsylvania ahead of next week’s primary.

 

THE DAILY TRUMP 

SPOILER: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: Donald Trump says rival Ted Cruz is out of the race and reduced to trying to be a “spoiler” and that the Texas senator is “mathematically out of winning the race.” 

REPLACEMENT: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: Donald Trump is hinting at replacing Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen if elected president, saying he likes the lower interest rates but that more could be done. 

PRESUMPTIVE NOMINEE: The Hill’s Jessie Hellmann reports: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says Donald Trump’s blowout victory in Tuesday’s New York primary makes him the presumptive GOP presidential nominee that the party should unite behind. 

TRUMP ZINGERS: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports:Comedy Central host Larry Wilmore tells The Hill in an interview that he’s “bummed out” Trump is skipping this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, but that won’t stop the jokes.

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY 

“You’ve got United States senators dropping like flies [and] deciding that they’re not going to their own convention.” 

— Debbie Wasserman Schultz, commenting during an interview about the number of GOP senators who are deciding not to attend the Republican National Convention.

 

CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS 

FAMILY VACATION FUND: The Hill’s Harper Neidig reports: Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) used campaign funds from his Senate bid to pay for a family vacation to California in August of last year. Stutzman’s campaign paid more than $2,000 for four airline tickets, a van rental and a Hilton hotel room during the trip, according to the Associated Press. 

OPIOID EPIDEMIC: The Hill’s Jordain Carney reports: Sen. Rob Portman’s (R-Ohio) campaign is touting his work combating the opioid and heroin overdose epidemic in a new ad. Portman faces a tough reelection bid against former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D). 

BUCKEYE STATE SHOWDOWN: The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) endorsed former Ohio Lt. Gov. Patty Judge (D) in her bid to unseat Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), according to a release from the DSCC. Judge will face state Sen. Rob Hogg and two former state legislators in the Democratic primary. 

TAKING SIDES: The conservative Club for Growth PAC endorsed Rep. John Fleming (R-La.) in his bid for the open Louisiana Senate seat, according to a release from Fleming’s campaign. He’s running in a crowded GOP field including Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.), Louisiana State Treasurer John Kennedy and retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness.

 

MONEY WATCH 

LACK OF ENTHUSIASM: The Hill’s Jonathan Swan reports: A victorious Donald Trump coming out of the Republican National Convention would have a hard time raising the money he needs to beat the Democratic presidential nominee in November. 

RNC HAUL: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes reports: The Republican National Committee announced that it raised $135 million through the end of March, calling it a record for a presidential cycle. 

PRIORITIES USA HAUL: The Hill’s Lisa Hagen reports: Priorities USA, the biggest super-PAC supporting Hillary Clinton brought in more than $11 million in March, bringing the group’s fundraising total to $67 million. 

CRUZ WAR CHEST: The Hill’s Jesse Byrnes and Ben Kamisar report: Ted Cruz’s campaign plans to report that it has $9 million in cash on hand, campaign manager Jeff Roe told reporters on Wednesday.

 

WHAT WE ARE WATCHING FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW:

(All times Eastern) 

Hillary Clinton holds an organizing event at The Fillmore in Philadelphia at 6:30 p.m today. She will hold a Hartford, Conn., discussion on gun violence at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday. 

Donald Trump holds a campaign rally in Berlin, Md. at 7 p.m. today and will be a guest on “The O’Reilly Factor” at 8 tonight. He will also hold a campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pa. at 7 p.m. on Thursday. 

John Kasich is expected to attend a closed-door reception this evening at the Republican National Committee’s Spring meeting in Hollywood, Fla. He’ll have a press availability in there at 7 p.m. On Thursday holds a town hall at 2:30 p.m. at Penn State-Brandywine campus in Media, Pa, and will attend a Chester County GOP reception and dinner in King of Prussia, Pa. at 6:30 p.m. 

Bernie Sanders holds three events in Pennsylvania on Thursday — town halls in Scranton at noon and Reading  at 4 p.m., and a rally outside of Philadelphia at 7:30 p.m. 

Ted Cruz will be the special guest at the Indiana Republican Party Spring Dinner in Indianapolis on Thursday evening.

 

TWEET OF THE DAY

Know who’s facing “constant attacks,” @TedCruz? Hardworking American immigrants, Muslims, LGBT folks, women. Your constant attacks.

— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) April 19, 2016

Part of a Twitter rant where the Massachusetts senator knocked Ted Cruz for “whining” about the “significant sacrifices” the Texas senator has made while running for president and chided him for not supporting paid family leave and higher minimum wages.

 

Write us with tips, suggestions and news: Jonathan Easley, Ben Kamisar, Jonathan Swan, Lisa Hagen. 

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