Donald Trump's Loss in Wisconsin Could Mark a Turning Point
Sen. Ted Cruz won the state by an estimated 13 percent.
— -- Donald Trump opted to go into attack mode rather than lick his wounds after the latest primary challenge.
The real estate mogul suffered a loss in Wisconsin to Sen. Ted Cruz in the Tuesday night primary with a bigger gap than anticipated.
But rather than admit defeat, Trump struck back by releasing a statement accusing "Lyin' Ted" of illegally coordinating with the super PAC that’s supporting the Cruz campaign. The accusation has not been confirmed, and Cruz's senior adviser, Jason Miller, didn't directly respond to the charge, only portraying it as an example of Trump's being Trump.
"Donald Trump has a real problem when he gets his tail kicked and that's exactly what happened tonight," Miller said Tuesday.
A state poll a week before the primary had Cruz beating Trump by 10 points, but the final total came out closer to a 13-point gap between the two.
"He has to figure out how does he come back from a big loss like that," ABC News political analyst Matt Dowd said on "Good Morning America" today.
ABC News estimates that Trump was only awarded six of the 42 delegates available in Wisconsin; Cruz was awarded 36 delegates.
The upshot is that speculation about a possible contested convention becomes more real.
Trump has a total 743 delegates and Cruz has 517 total delegates, which would mean they have to get, respectively, 60 percent and 87 percent of the remaining delegates from the upcoming state contests to secure the nomination before the convention.
"To quote 'Invictus,' he is the master of his fate, and he is the master of his soul," Dowd said.