Subject: First Draft on Politics: Ted Cruz Unveils a Campaign Surprise, but It May Not Be Enough
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Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2016 07:16:19 -0400

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Thursday, April 28, 2016

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Thursday, April 28, 2016

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Carly Fiorina at a rally in Indianapolis on Wednesday.

Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters

Ted Cruz Unveils a Campaign Surprise, but It May Not Be Enough

By ALAN RAPPEPORT

Good Thursday morning.

The “Stop Trump” movement is getting a new look as Senator Ted Cruz of Texas has taken the highly unusual step of picking an early running mate as he looks to block Donald J. Trump from winning the Republican nomination. Mr. Cruz and his vice-presidential hopeful, Carly Fiorina, will hit the campaign trail and make three stops together in Indiana, creating a spectacle so rare for this stage of an election that it could steal some of the spotlight that tends to shine brightest on Mr. Trump.

But will Mrs. Fiorina matter?

Perhaps. At a time when Mr. Trump has injected gender politics into the campaign by accusing Hillary Clinton of playing the “woman’s card,” Mr. Cruz, his leading Republican rival, has joined forces with someone who highlights Mr. Trump’s weakness with female voters and relishes skewering him. She also offers voters a preview of what a diverse Republican general election ticket could look like.

While the shotgun marriage appears to make practical sense, it might not be enough to make a difference. Mrs. Fiorina is a familiar presence in politics, but her campaigns for a California Senate seat and for the presidency both ended in failure. There is little evidence that she is sufficiently popular to help Mr. Cruz carry Indiana next week or California in June – which he will need to do to stop Mr. Trump. And the surprising move, taken together with Mr. Cruz’s recent decision to coordinate with his other rival, Gov. John R. Kasich of Ohio, indicates that he may indeed be getting desperate.

At the very least, Mr. Cruz has little to lose, and he can take comfort that his conservative idol, Ronald Reagan, tried something similar in 1976. Mr. Reagan failed to win the nomination that year, but his persistence paid off, and, four years later, he won the presidency.

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What We’re Watching Today

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Mr. Trump will hold a rally in Indiana. He will also head to California, which votes on June 7, and will hold a rally in Costa Mesa, near Los Angeles.

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Mr. Kasich will be in Oregon, one of the states at the center of his deal to concede Indiana to Mr. Cruz.

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Mr. Sanders will also be in Indiana.

Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters

After Losses, Ted Cruz Picks Carly Fiorina as Running Mate and Bernie Sanders Retrenches

By ALEXANDER BURNS AND YAMICHE ALCINDOR

Mr. Sanders and Mr. Cruz abruptly reordered their campaigns, aiming to preserve some hope of primary victories.

Mark Makela for The New York Times

Bernie Sanders to Cut Hundreds of Staff Members and Focus on California

By YAMICHE ALCINDOR

A day after losing four of five states, the Vermont senator said he would remain in the race but needed to channel his resources into the states ahead.

Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

Donald Trump, Laying Out Foreign Policy, Promises Coherence

By MARK LANDLER AND ASHLEY PARKER

“We’re going to finally have a coherent foreign policy, based on American interests and the shared interests of our allies,” Mr. Trump said.

Jeff Swensen for The New York Times

In Pennsylvania, Unbound Delegates Remain Wary of Donald Trump

By JEREMY W. PETERS

Mr. Trump could still need votes by free-agent convention delegates, from a state he dominated, to achieve a majority and win the Republican nomination.

The 2016 Race

Donald Trump Beat Expectations Everywhere, Suggesting a Broad Shift

By NATE COHN

Wherever he could squeeze out additional delegates on Tuesday, he did, and the nomination seems well within reach.

First Draft

Carly Fiorina Pulls Out All the Stops, and Lyrics, in Joining Ted Cruz

By MATT FLEGENHEIMER

After the senator said he would make Mrs. Fiorina his running mate if he is the Republican presidential nominee, she defended him and sang a song to his daughters.

Cruz and Trump, as Clock Ticks Down, Hustle for Crucial Indiana Win

By MATT FLEGENHEIMER AND JONATHAN MARTIN

For all the attention Senator Ted Cruz and Donald J. Trump are creating, there is widespread uncertainty about how the state’s primary will transpire.

Stay tuned throughout the day: Follow us on Twitter @NYTPolitics and on Facebook for First Draft updates.

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The 2016 Race

The ‘Women’s Card’? We Measured, and It’s Not Worth Much

By JUSTIN WOLFERS

Perhaps Donald Trump is playing the men’s card: The U.S. is positioned between Greece and Bangladesh in one metric of women’s success in politics.

F.E.C. Attempts to Bridge Gap Between ‘A’ and ‘The’

By RACHEL SHOREY

After failing to agree on the issue this month, commissioners with the Federal Election Commission will consider on Thursday whether to tweak an existing regulation by changing the time frame to “a calendar year” from “the calendar year.”

Senate Republicans to Name Names in Effort to Rekindle Criminal Justice Bill

By CARL HULSE

Hoping to restore momentum for a criminal justice overhaul, Senate sponsors of the legislation plan to go public on Thursday with the names of new Republican supporters and the changes made in the package to appease party critics.

Dennis Hastert Sentenced to 15 Months, and Apologizes for Sex Abuse

By MONICA DAVEY, JULIE BOSMAN AND MITCH SMITH

The former House speaker faced up to five years for his effort to cover up his sexual abuse of high school wrestlers he coached.

First Draft

Tom Coburn, Ex-Senator, Says Merrick Garland Should Get a Vote

By EMMARIE HUETTEMAN

Mr. Coburn, the former Oklahoma lawmaker known for his often contrarian views, said Judge Garland should get a vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee, going against his old colleagues who have staunchly opposed even considering President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee.

First Draft

President Obama Will Visit Flint, Mich., Where Tap Water Is Tainted

By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS

His visit will come about six months after state officials first admitted that the water had been tainted with lead and other chemicals, revealing a public health emergency that led to a criminal investigation and has reverberated in the presidential campaign.

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What We’re Reading Elsewhere

•

USA Today assesses Mr. Trump’s foreign policy speech.

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The Wall Street Journal says three people hold the “key to uniting the Democrats behind the party’s nominee.”

•

ABC News takes a look at the precedent for Mr. Cruz’s early selection of a running mate and the “pros and cons” of such a move.

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