Alfonse D'Amato

Candidates, parties pull out all the stops on primary day

Posted

In the weeks leading up to the New York primary, voters reported robo-calls from everyone from President Obama to Mel Brooks and Wesley Snipes. And that was just for the special election for the State Senate.

For the first time in decades, New Yorkers were in the uncommon position of playing a pivotal role in the presidential nomination process. The excitement surrounding both the Republican and Democratic primaries was evident as candidates traveled around our state, rallying their troops.

Three of the presidential candidates have deep roots in New York. Donald Trump is a native who made his fortune in New York real estate; Hillary Clinton was our U.S. senator for eight years and remains a resident; and Sen. Bernie Sanders was born and raised in Brooklyn.

Trump and Clinton proved to have the home-state advantage. Both candidates moved closer to gaining enough delegates to secure their parties’ nominations. Trump captured 60 percent of the Republican vote, and came close to sweeping all of New York’s 95 delegates. Such a large victory may help Trump avoid a contested convention in Cleveland in July.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich finished second, with 25 percent of the vote and four delegates. It should be no surprise that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz finished third. His past comments about our state have left New Yorkers with an obvious distaste for him. Cruz is also strongly disliked by our representatives in Washington, including our U.S. Rep. Peter King, who said, “I hate Ted Cruz. And I think I’d take cyanide if he ever got the nomination.”

Well said, Congressman.

Believe it or not, these insane presidential primaries are nearing an end. Here’s how I see it all playing out.

In his victory speech, Trump was quick to point out that his victory just about mathematically eliminated Cruz, and “we don’t have much of a race anymore.”

He’s correct. You could also conclude that Kasich is mathematically eliminated, and technically that is correct, but I believe he still has a chance to give Trump a run for his money at the convention. Not only is he more qualified than Cruz to be president, but he’s also the only candidate who can secure Ohio. The Republicans will win Texas without Cruz. They need Kasich to win Ohio.

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