The Brief: Cruz Looks Ahead After New York Defeat

There was little suspense Tuesday when it came to New York’s Republican presidential primary. But while Donald Trump easily won his home state, GOP rival Ted Cruz was already looking to one of the campaign’s next big prizes.

By Jacob Sanchez and Ayan Mittra

April 20, 20165 AM Central

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The Big Conversation

There was little suspense Tuesday when it came to New York’s Republican presidential primary. But while Donald Trump easily won his home state, GOP rival Ted Cruz was already looking to one of the campaign’s next big prizes.

The Texas Tribune’s Abby Livingston reported that Trump coasted to victory in New York, as most news outlets called the GOP race immediately after polls closed. Cruz, R-Texas, finished in a distant third behind Trump and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Livingston added that it “was a rocky campaign in a tough state for Cruz, and he telegraphed as much when he opted to host his watch party out of state.” Cruz angered many New Yorkers in January when he criticized Trump for having "New York values."

Cruz, whose campaign is preparing for a convention floor fight, barely touched on the primary Tuesday during remarks in Philadelphia before the polls closed in New York.

As Trump added to his delegate lead, the GOP candidates now focus on primaries in five states on April 26. The largest prize among those is Pennsylvania, where Cruz is focusing much of his current efforts. He’s scheduled to campaign Wednesday in Hershey, Pennsylvania, with former Hewlett Packard CEO and former GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina. But polls show Trump with a significant lead there.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton enjoyed a decisive victory Tuesday in New York over Bernie Sanders.

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The Day Ahead

• The Senate Health & Human Service Committee meets at 9 a.m. in the Senate Chamber to discuss the frequency, causes and effects of disrupted foster care adoptions, and examine the current process the Child Protective Services uses to track the recurrence of child abuse and neglect.

• The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Articles I, IV & V meets at 10 a.m. in the Capitol extension to monitor the implementation of House Bill 9 and study updated projections towards actuarial soundness of the Employees Retirement System.