Bruised in Wisconsin, Clinton and Trump eye friendlier New York

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton looked to bounce back Wednesday from unsettling presidential primary losses in Wisconsin, training their sights in the next White House contests on friendlier ground — their home state of New York.
The Republican and Democratic frontrunners were trounced Tuesday night in the Badger State, giving their respective rivals — Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders — a boost in morale and delegates.
Trump’s defeat makes his ascent to the Republican nomination steeper, increasing the likelihood of a contested convention in July that could throw the party’s nod to someone more to the liking of the establishment.
Usually at no loss for words, the real estate mogul left it to his campaign to blame his poor Wisconsin showing Tuesday on an anti-Trump movement that it said spent “countless millions on false advertising” to stop him.
“Ted Cruz is worse than a puppet, he is a Trojan horse, being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination from Mr.Trump,” his campaign said in a statement.
Cruz, an ultra-conservative senator from Texas, won with 48.3 percent of the vote, to 35 percent for Trump. Ohio Governor John Kasich took 14 percent.
“It was a turning point, I believe, in this entire election,” Cruz told reporters Wednesday in New York, where he flew to challenge the brash billionaire on his home turf.
Cruz painted Trump as more willing to engage in insults than substantive debate.
“He gets very angry when the voters reject him,” Cruz said.
Trump’s loss followed a brutal campaign week, in which he alienated women by saying those who have abortions should be punished and then retracting the comment.
He also drew fire for calling NATO obsolete and a plan to make Mexico pay for a border wall by holding hostage the money its citizens send home from the US.
But Trump remains the undisputed Republican frontrunner with 746 delegates to 510 for Cruz and 145 for Kasich after Tuesday, according to a CNN estimate. The first to get to 1,237 wins the nomination.