The Note: Angst in Albuquerque
— -- NOTABLES
--CHAOS ERUPTS OUTSIDE TRUMP RALLY IN NEW MEXICO: A protester was arrested after a chaotic scene erupted outside a Donald Trump rally in New Mexico overnight, which left several officers injured after being pelted by rocks. Throngs of protesters gathered outside the rally in Albuquerque and several protesters were escorted out of the rally Tuesday evening. Police told ABC News that they used pepper spray and smoke grenades to control the situation. At one point, protesters broke through a barricade erected by police, rushing the convention center where Trump was speaking. While Albuquerque police prevented them from getting inside, police say, protesters started to throw rocks and bottles at their horses. More from ABC’s BRIAN MCBRIDE, CANDACE SMITH and JOHN SANTUCCI: http://abcn.ws/25fT3vp
--IS RYAN READY TO ENDORSE TRUMP? When asked whether House Speaker Ryan is preparing to endorse Trump, a spokesman said: "There's no update and we've not told the Trump campaign to expect an endorsement,” adding: “He's also not told anyone he regrets anything.”
--DISS OF THE DAY with ABC’s MERIDITH MCGRAW -- TRUMP MOCKS MARTINEZ: At his rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Donald Trump took a swipe at the nation’s first -- and only -- Latina governor, Susana Martinez. “Since 2000, the number of people on food stamps in New Mexico has tripled,” Trump said. “We have to get your governor to get going. She’s got to do a better job, okay? Your governor has got to do a better job. She’s not doing the job. Hey, maybe I’ll run for governor of New Mexico!” Martinez, a former Rubio supporter who has not endorsed Trump and did not attend his event, is currently chair of the Republican Governor’s Association. And as a Hispanic female, she falls squarely into two voting blocks that have not warmed up to Trump’s message. In a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll, Trump was 14 percentage points behind Hillary Clinton amongst women. Hispanic voters, which make up almost half of New Mexico’s population, prefer Clinton over Trump by a whopping 48 percentage points the most recent WSJ/NBC poll. Martinez’s name was once floated as a potential Vice President pick for Trump.
--ANALYSIS -- ABC’s RICK KLEIN: It may be that only after electing the first African-American president that the country will have a campaign that’s explicitly about race. Donald Trump – who just Tuesday night insulted the nation’s only Latina Republican governor, at a wild, protest-filled rally in New Mexico – has made clear his appeal to frustrated white working-class voters. Trump has famously referenced the “silent majority” in his campaign to “Make American Great Again.” In response to that slogan, former President Bill Clinton is giving hints of the response, pointing out that “Native Americans, African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, first-generation immigrants” don’t necessarily have a past they want to return to. “Hillary says instead of looking backwards, let’s look forward and put all Americans together on an escalator so we can rise together,” the former president said Tuesday. Yes, escalator.
YESTERDAY ON THE TRAIL with ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI and PAOLA CHAVEZ
THE STORY BEHIND DONALD TRUMP’S DECISION TO GO NEGATIVE AGAINST BILL CLINTON. Donald Trump has dug out dirt for his latest campaign moves, bringing up Bill Clinton's old sex scandals in an Instagram video posted Monday. ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY notes, the fact that Trump's campaign started zeroing in on Bill Clinton's history with women may not come as a shock; Trump has been hinting at the former president’s past on the campaign trail and one of his best-known confidantes has been doing so for years. The connection Trump is trying to make between the former secretary of state and her husband's alleged incidents with women is that she was his "enabler." http://abcn.ws/1U82Tr7
TRUMP WINS WASHINGTON GOP PRIMARY. Donald Trump won the Washington State primary, according to the Associated Press. The win brings Trump closer to potentially clinching the nomination for the GOP. http://abcn.ws/1Xvy3yf
A RE-CANVASS IN KENTUCKY. The Sanders campaign has officially requested a recanvass of the vote from the May 17 Kentucky Democratic primary. The goal seems to be earning the one remaining delegate in the neck-and-neck contest. In a letter to Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes -- a Clinton supporter -- sent Tuesday and signed by Bernie Sanders himself, Sanders requests a "full and complete check and recanvass of every one of the voting machines and absentee ballots from all precincts in all 120 counties involving the Democratic presidential race from the 2016 primary election." ABC’s SHUSHANNAH WALSHE, LIZ KREUTZ, JOSH HASKELL report, a press release from Grimes' office confirms she received the request from the Sanders campaign. http://abcn.ws/1WMNxi5
SANDERS ARGUES HE’S NOT ‘HARMING’ DEMOCRATIC PARTY BY STAYING IN THE RACE. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders argued Tuesday that he's "absolutely not" harming the Democratic Party by staying in the 2016 primary race, but rather "invigorating" the party. "I don't think I'm harming the Democratic Party," Sanders said in an interview on ABC's "The View." "I think I'm invigorating American democracy and invigorating the Democratic Party. The establishment obviously doesn't like it. They would like us to go away and do things in the same old, same old." ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI and JOSH HASKELL have more. http://abcn.ws/1WMyEwf
NOTED: SANDERS GOES ON THE AIR IN CALIFORNIA WITH 1.5 MILLION AD BUY. Although Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders' California campaign will still center around large-scale campaign rallies over the next two weeks, the campaign has decided to go on the airwaves with a $1.5 million dollar buy. The ad will start airing in Los Angeles today, Fresno and Sacramento. ABC’s JOSH HASKELL reports, the 30-second ad shows California farmworkers, scenes of Venice beach and college students contrasted with images of Wall Street. http://abcn.ws/1TUQ5oi
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
BRYAN CRANSTON IMAGINES LBJ’S REACTION TO TRUMP: ‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOIN’ ON?’ Faced with the prospect of a President Donald Trump, what would Lyndon B. Johnson do? Actor Bryan Cranston made an educated guess. “He’d say somethin' like, 'What the hell is goin' on in Washington? This guy is gonna be the Republican leader? My God, things have changed since I've been here!'” said Cranston, channeling his best LBJ impression -- which is pretty good, likely because it’s well-practiced, ABC’s ALI DUKAKIS notes. ABC News caught up with Cranston, who reprises his starring stage role as LBJ in HBO’s film adaptation of “All The Way.” WATCH: http://abcn.ws/25kgsiM
WHO’S TWEETING?
@thehill: Clinton rules out picking Sanders as her VP during 'Ellen' appearance: http://hill.cm/Ro5KOrh
@mattbai: Still thinking about "Weiner," the doc. Everyone in that film -- candidate, wife, media, voters -- has some reflecting to do. Go see it.
@PhilipRucker: Yesterday good example of Trump challenge. Day begins with Clinton assault on housing, ends with Trump provocations
@mmurraypolitics: Trump vs. Martinez: It's not every day party's presumptive nom takes shot at battleground state GOV from own party
@wexler: 2013 RNC autopsy: Electorate is changing, we must compete for Latino votes 2016: Presidential nominee blasts Latina GOP swing state governor