Apr 4, 2016 7 min read

Wake Up To Politics - April 4, 2016

Monday, April 4, 2016
1 Days until the Wisconsin Primary
218 Days Until Election Day 2016 I'm Gabe Fleisher for Wake Up To Politics, and reporting from WUTP world HQ in my bedroom - Good morning: THIS IS YOUR WAKE UP CALL!!!
To send me questions, comments, tips, new subscribers, and more: email me at wakeuptopolitics@gmail.com. To learn more about WUTP and subscribe, visit the site: wakeuptopolitics.com, or like me on Twitter and Facebook. More ways to engage with WUTP at the bottom. Editor's Note

Welcome back to Wake Up To Politics! And for those of you who subscribed during my interesting Spring Break, welcome! Really quickly: the email address for WUTP has changed, so make sure to add gabe@wakeuptopolitics.com to your address book!
It's an exciting week in politics, so I'll dive right in, and I'll back Tuesday with even more on storylines that I missed today or will develop tomorrow, from the Supreme Court nomination to the Wisconsin primary.2016 Central
Cruz Wins North Dakota Delegate Hunt The focus of the Republican presidential race was on an unlikely place Sunday: Fargo, North Dakota, as the three remaining campaigns battled over the 25 delegates being chosen at the state's Republican convention.
While most delegates to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this July will be bound to a candidate (determined by primary results) on at least the first ballot, North Dakota's 25 are unbound to any candidate during the entire convention (the state GOP does not hold a primary or caucuses). With a real possibility that no candidate will have a majority of delegates going into Cleveland, every delegate counts: as shown by the unusual amount of attention paid to North Dakota's convention.
In the end, Ted Cruz was triumphant in North Dakota, with 18 of the 25 slots coming from Cruz's slate of preferred delegates. Only one has endorsed Trump, while some (including Gov. Jack Dalrymple and his wife Betsy, as well as presumed Republican gubernatorial nominee Wayne Stenehjem). Any North Dakota delegate can vote any way they choose, and even a member of the Cruz slate could end up voting for someone else when the convention comes.
However, Cruz comes home from Fargo the winner of the delegate hunt, having upended the party's proposed slate (which Trump and Kasich endorsed), adding seven new delegates from his own slate to the eleven on his slate already on the party's list of 25. This was the product of a full-on grassroots lobbying effort, which included Cruz himself speaking at the North Dakota convention Saturday. His rivals' campaigns, on the other hand, sent only surrogates: Ben Carson for the Trump campaign, and former New Hampshire Sen. Gordon Humphrey for the Kasich campaign.
At the convention's end, Cruz declared victory in North Dakota. "I'm thrilled to have the vote of confidence of Republican voters in North Dakota who delivered such a resounding victory today," Cruz said in a statement. "As I met them over the weekend, North Dakota Republicans recognized that I am the only candidate who can move this country forward by protecting freedom and liberty. Whether we defeat Donald Trump before the convention or at it, I'm energized to have the support of the vast majority of North Dakota delegates."
At Any Cost: "This summer's Republican National Convention is shaping up to be an all-out brawl for every delegate's vote -- and legally, that could mean plying some of them with gifts, experts say.There are federal and state laws prohibiting bribery of elected officials -- and restrictions on campaigns themselves -- but there isn't much on the books governing what private citizens serving as delegates at their parties' conventions can take in exchange for their votes on a nominating ballot...Opponents of Trump are especially worried about the potential resources of the billionaire businessman." http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/04/politics/contested-convention-bribing-delegates/index.html
DEMOCRATIC Delegate Hunt: "In another sign of the fight left in Bernie Sanders’s campaign, the Democratic presidential hopeful appears to have picked up at least a couple of delegates in Nevada, a state where Hillary Clinton was declared the winner on Feb. 20. Clinton emerged on caucus day with a lead of 20 to 15 in statewide delegates. According to a report from Nevada, that margin has narrowed to 18 to 17 after a second round in the process, known as the county conventions, which took place Saturday." https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/04/03/a-scrappy-sanders-campaign-narrows-the-nevada-delegate-count-six-weeks-after-the-caucuses
The Great Democratic Debate Over Debates Negotiations between the Clinton and Sanders campaigns over a debate in New York has descended into a harsh war of words, as both campaigns have accepted network invitations to debates...on different days.
In interviews Sunday, Hillary Clinton told NY1 that she will attend the network's proposed debate on the night of April 14, while also telling ABC that she plans to participate in a potential debate on "Good Morning America" on April 15.
Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs issued a statement accepting NBC's offer of an April 10 primetime debate, and also offering April 11-13 as potential dates. But he maintained that Sanders can't attend an April 14 debate: "The Clinton campaign disingenuously announced that it had agreed to a debate on a day when it knew very well that Sen. Sanders already had locked in park permits for a major rally in New York City."
Clinton's campaign pushed back, with spokesman Brian Fallon tweeting: "It seems like Sanders camp is more interested in having fake excuses to attack Hillary Clinton than actually debating in NY.”
With no end to the public negotiations in sight, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has gotten involved. A Sunday night statement by spokesman Luis Miranda held out hope, however, that a debate will be held in New York. "We hope to conclude negotiations soon enough to allow our network partners 5 to 7 days, enough time to build out a venue and an audience worthy of our candidates," he said.
One date that can't be negotiated: the New York primary, which is set on April 19 and creeping closer.
Today on the Trail On the Republican side, Ted Cruz and Donald Trump both have a full day of campaigning in Wisconsin, in an all-out sprint to the Badger State's key primary Tuesday.
Cruz will attend a Madison town hall moderated by Fox News' Megyn Kelly, hold Retail Stops in Kenosha and Milwaukee (joined by his wife Heidi, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Utah Sen. Mike Lee, and Carly Fiorina), and attend a Waukesha rally with Lee and Fiorina hosted by Keep the Promise, a pro-Cruz super PAC.
One of Cruz's retail stops will be held at perhaps the most Wisconsin place ever: the Mars Cheese Castle.
Trump will hold a La Crosse town hall, a Superior rally, attend a Milwaukee town hall moderated by Fox News' Sean Hannity, and hold a rally at the historic Milwaukee Theater, which has hosted eleven presidents and was the site of the failed assasinatation attempt on former President Theodore Roosevelt (he continued to speak after being shot).
Finally, John Kasich has a much lighter day, as he looks ahead of Wisconsin to New York's primary on April 19. He will hold town halls in Hempstead and Huntington.
All three GOP candidates will appear on Fox News tonight: Kasich will be interviewed by Greta Van Susteren at 7pm Eastern Time, Cruz's town hall with Kelly will air at 9pm, and Trump's town hall with Hannity will air at 10pm.
On the Democratic side: Bernie Sanders campaigns in Wisconsin, holding a town hall in Janesville (home of Paul Ryan) and rallies in Green Bay and Milwaukee (the latter featuring The Summer Set, 3OH!3 and Space Raft).
Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, will shore up support in New York, appearing alongside Gov. Andrew Cuomo as he signs legislation setting the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour. The bill signing will be an opportunity to appeal to Empire State progressives, although Clinton has not come out in support of a $15 minimum wage (she has called for $12), unlike Sanders.White House Watch
The President's Schedule At 11:10am, President Obama will meet with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss "the progress Allies are making in the international effort to degrade and destroy ISIL, as well as the important role NATO is playing in alleviating the refugee and migrant crisis spurred in part by the terrorist group," according to the White House, and "reiterate that the United States stands together with NATO in the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks that struck Brussels, Belgium, the site of NATO Headquarters, on March 22."
At 12:30pm, Obama will hold his weekly lunch with Vice President Joe Biden.
At 4:55pm, the President will host a reception for Greek Independence Day in the East Room.