Presidential candidates ramping up ahead of Indiana primary
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The presidential contenders are ramping up their Indiana operations in the last full week of campaigning ahead of the state’s May 3 primary election.
Republican front-runner Donald Trump and his opponent Texas Sen. Ted Cruz have already made stops in the state, and each is expected to do more. Ohio Gov. John Kasich plans a first visit Tuesday.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton has mobilized a coalition of Indiana lawmakers and community leaders for support and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders recently made a large television ad buy in the state.
U.S. Reps. Marlin Stutzman and Todd Young also will be making last pitches to voters in their contest for the seat being left open by retiring U.S. Senator Dan Coats.
Here is a guide to what’s ahead in the last days before voters make their choices:
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VOTES THAT COUNT
As the only state with a primary election on May 3, Indiana will be in the nation’s spotlight while it makes its decisions.
The state’s primary is normally too late in the election season to have much influence in the party presidential nominations. But this year Hoosiers still could play a major role in tipping at least the highly contested Republican contest one way or the other.
Voters have so far tuned into the race in record numbers, according to the Secretary of State’s office. Early voter turnout has edged past previous years, including 2008 when Hillary Clinton defeated Barack Obama before he ultimately went on to win his first term in the White House.
At stake are 57 Republican delegates and 92 for the Democrats.
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EARLY ARRIVERS
Cruz made his first stop Thursday to chat up voters at one of Indianapolis’s legacy lunch spots, Shapiro’s Delicatessen, and then spoke at the annual state Republican Party Spring Dinner Friday. He then returned over the weekend and called on Trump to debate him in Indiana ahead of the election.
Cruz’s wife, Heidi, also made the rounds throughout the state Friday to open new campaign offices and garner face time with voters.
Trump was first to arrive, though, drawing thousands of cheering supporters – and a small group of protesters – when he spoke at the State Fairgrounds on Wednesday. It was his first stop after winning the New York primary.
Clinton, the former Secretary of State, has set up five offices throughout the state. She recently announced the formation of African-Americans for Hillary, which comprises more than 50 state and local lawmakers.
Sanders, who has opened eight offices statewide, has tried to benefit from grassroots events and angled for union support, touting a platform of bringing jobs to the middle class and halting globalization.
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AIMING HIGH
In their visits, both Trump and Cruz sought to entice high-level Hoosier support. Both made overtures to Republican Gov. Mike Pence, meeting with the state’s top official privately at the governor’s residence.
Trump even flew in New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has endorsed the billionaire businessman, to attend the meeting with his fellow Republican chief executive. Pence would not say what the conversations entailed, just that they were “substantive.”
The governor also plans to meet with Kasich during the Ohio governor’s visit Tuesday. But despite all the courtship, Pence on Thursday reiterated that he was “for anybody but Hillary and Bernie Sanders.”
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GEARING UP
Cruz has trumpeted his plans for an aggressive on-the-ground Indiana campaign until voters go to the polls. Trump, who has waged a less conventional campaign, has been more vague about what his plans are in Indiana.
On Tuesday, Kasich plans on visiting Noblesville for a town hall meeting at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. He will also make an appearance at the Columbia Club, a private club frequented by many of the state’s lawmakers, before heading to the Omni Severin Hotel for a “watch party” to see the results of five other states’ primaries.
Neither the Clinton nor Sanders campaigns were saying as of Friday whether their candidates would visit the state before the primaries.
In the Senate race, both of the candidates are expected to be in Washington to take votes for at least part of the week. Young is expected to attend several Lincoln Day dinners around the state. Stutzman’s campaign did not immediately provide a schedule.