2016 Wisconsin Primary Results

Wisconsin is holding a Republican and Democratic primary today with a high-stakes battle on both sides since this is the first primary in the month of April. Polling has shown a swing toward Bernie Sanders on the Democratic side in recent days, while Ted Cruz appears to be maintaining a lead on the Republican side. Look for results coming in around 10pm ET.

Called Races

Cruz: WI

Sanders: WI

Wisconsin Primary
Polls closed by 9pm ET (8pm CT)
Live Results: Politico
Dem Delegates: 96 proportional
GOP Delegates: 42 winner-take-most
Winner: Cruz, Sanders

Update on the results from NPR:

Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders are the projected winners of the Wisconsin primary, according to the Associated Press.

The victories are important achievements for both candidates as they look to stop their leading rivals.

For the Republican Texas senator, his win over Donald Trump increases the likelihood of a contested Republican convention this summer in Cleveland.

Cruz will win at least 18 statewide pledged delegates with his win — a number that is sure to grow based on how many congressional district he carries. The Texas senator was performing well in the most populous southeast corner of the state, where there was heavy turnout and long lines all day.

Trump isn’t down for the count just yet. The real estate mogul hopes to run strong in the more rural northwest corner of the state, where he made final campaign stops on Monday. The only hope for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, far behind both Trump and Cruz in the delegate race, to pick up delegates may be in the 2nd District around the state capitol of Madison, where Republican voters are more moderate.

On the Democratic side, Sanders gets an important win over Clinton, building on other recent wins in Hawaii, Alaska and Washington.

“I think it looks like we’re headed for another victory, which would be seven of the last eight contents the senator will have won. He really has a tremendous amount of momentum,” Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver told NPR’s elections special shortly before the race was called. “We’ll see what the margin of victory is tonight. But I think we’re expecting that there’s going to be a victory. In fact, I think there are some very early returns in right now and they look very positive.”

The margin will matter for Sanders though. He needs a big victory in the state to cut into Clinton’s 263 pledged-delegate advantage. Of the Democrats’ 86 pledged delegates, 57 will be awarded proportionally by congressional district, while 19 will be given to the statewide victor. The remaining 10, made up of party leaders and elected officials, will also be awarded proportionally.

Trump could afford to lose Wisconsin and still maintain a path to 1,237 delegates. For Cruz, on the other hand, this was basically a must-win because the remaining primaries head into Trump-friendly territory.

For Bernie Sanders, this is a big win since Hillary had been leading in Wisconsin as late as a couple weeks ago. In recent days, the polls showed a strong shift to Sanders. He’ll need the momentum heading into New York on April 19th, a contest where Clinton is strongly favored.