Subject: POLITICO's 2016 Blast: Cruz picks Fiorina — Trump goes for the kill — Sanders’ staff layoffs — 5 things you need to know
From: "POLITICO's 2016 Blast" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2016 15:50:56 -0600

By Henry C. Jackson | 04/27/2016 05:48 PM EDT

CRUZ-CARLY: TED CRUZ had to do something, so today, he went big: Naming CARLY FIORINA his vice presidential nominee in waiting - even as he badly trailed DONALD TRUMP in the race for delegates. 

The move had the trappings of a traditional vice presidential pick, including a new logo http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234f196cc0068a007e0cb3381c440657560a8fc69c1837efdebb and a website that now redirects to cruzcarly.com. But it came, not from a position of strength, but of need: As POLITICO's Alex Isenstadt reported, Cruz picked Fiorina - announcing her at an event in suddenly crucial Indiana - at a time of growing desperation within Cruz circles.

Cruz's losses Tuesday mathematically eliminated him from getting the 1,237 delegates he would need to get the GOP nomination. With his hopes resting on a contested convention, the idea is to show delegates what they could have - that is, if Cruz can stop Trump on the first ballot in Cleveland. The Cruz camp is also hoping Fiorina will help his standing with women and give him a boost in California. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234f073fe09feb08841f6b43b4eb4de36dbdc5a29c154a743942 

It's Wednesday, and here's your 2016 Blast. There's a VP pick! Which means you can play the official Blast VP pick soundtrack: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234f93af2d2ad67b678fc2cd28d3df7bfce03fe5710768317f03 Henry C. Jackson (@henrycjjackson) is here to guide you through the day's campaign news, so send your tips, complaints and face-melting hot takes to [email-masked]. 

WHAT MATTERS: Here are four more things we're watching today - and why they matter. 

2) AS THE BERN TURNS: BERNIE SANDERS plowed forward today, promising an Indiana crowd "we are in this campaign to win." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234ff7d0b2ca147ed6fc8274e7b8a4a59bceb80c8559edd7d370 But even as he said it, field organizers for his campaign were being laid off, POLITICO's Gabriel Debenedetti reports. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234f7e46523ac043e879e00563b3b539ebe844759729abda3f83 In another interview, with The New York Times, he said that "hundreds" of staff members could be affected and his campaign would now largely focus on California. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234f195bdb7b37310d0fb82cce1e6e659a4df8147b70560d309d On Tuesday night, Cruz's campaign pushed a secondary focus for his effort: pushing HILLARY CLINTON and the rest of the Democratic party to the left 
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234f3cdbc91a5ed18624f0e7350d97b7d452c54586d113d79ddf

3) GOING FOR KILL: DONALD TRUMP declared himself the presumptive Republican nominee on Tuesday night (http://goo.gl/NXHDiw), and he may have all the momentum. But his focus on Indiana shows he knows he has at least one significant step left before he can clinch the delegates he needs. As POLITICO's Shane Goldmacher reports Trump is investing heavily - at least $900,000 so far in TV and radio ads - and he's wooing state insiders like Gov. Mike Pence. A win in Indiana, where he has a narrow lead over TED CRUZ in recent polling, is one of his last remaining hurdles. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234ff4c8805cede059c34933c4749a79e7c5d9220158f1b7f389 

4) HILL'S CHILL: A strong showing in the northeast means HILLARY CLINTON is on a glide path to the Democratic nomination. Still, as POLITICO's Annie Karni reports, there's frustration in Brooklyn that BERNIE SANDERS has not yet ended his presidential bid. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234f77a775af711609be7e3d40aad6ac8ca0f23ac8968273598b But that is leavened, somewhat, by the fact that in a similar situation in 2008, when it was clear Barack Obama would win the Democratic nomination, Clinton did not leave the race. And DONALD TRUMP perhaps exacerbated that tension on Wednesday, promising to carry some of Sanders' attacks against Clinton into the Fall: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234f968713e2b7fd93f8f712ea56e36079e956e1a7ab9762b13a 

5) WHERE IT STANDS: HILLARY CLINTON and DONALD TRUMP are both on the verge of securing their party's nominations for president. Here's how things stand:

DEMOCRATS: You need 2,383 delegates to win the nomination.

HILLARY CLINTON: 2,151. BERNIE SANDERS: 1,338. UNCOMMITTED: 129. MARTIN O'MALLEY: 0. 

REPUBLICANS: You need 1,237 delegates to win the nomination.

DONALD TRUMP: 954. TED CRUZ: 562. MARCO RUBIO: 171. JOHN KASICH: 153. UNCOMMITTED: 57. BEN CARSON: 9. JEB BUSH: 4. CARLY FIORINA: 1. MIKE HUCKABEE: 1. RAND PAUL: 1. CHRIS CHRISTIE: 0. RICK SANTORUM: 0. JIM GILMORE: 0.

NOTE: This tally does not include a trove of 54 unbound delegates in Pennsylvania, though reports are that many are leaning toward DONALD TRUMP - who won a significant victory there on Tuesday.

TRAIL MIX: Elsewhere on the campaign trail, DONALD TRUMP talks foreign policy, don't ask TED CRUZ about the NBA playoffs and JOHN KASICH makes an Oregon claim. 

FOREIGN FOIL: DONALD TRUMP gave a foreign policy speech in Washington. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234f703b5cb51042e9a5fe649fd1526042b257f321ce8a6b33f9 The White House mocked it openly. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234fac543b866a5a135ecf4494daa0184fb495a93065fb659dc2 

COMEY GET ME: A BERNIE SANDERS supporter/columnist wrote an open letter to FBI Director James Comey pleading that he remind Democrats there's an FBI investigation into HILLARY CLINTON's emails. Yup: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234f29c0bd94bf0c2226c8d523c7b76940f980b92859ef58ed8f 

SLAM THE SPHERE INTO THE RING: TED CRUZ tried to talk about basketball. Mentioned something called a "basketball ring." Sarah Palin was amused. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234f96b31494d2ba3359dddacbfdb8d75a6dd452df268cda6815 

BLAST NOTE: Come on! (But we all make mistakes: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234fa396b5ba180e72af70959999850f0bb8f7da54d74464f195

OREGON TRAIL: JOHN KASICH's new Oregon ad declares that TED CRUZ has "pulled out" of Oregon. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234f7a7dd76940df1a6e53dff13a347341fd9b9a3021f0e7ae58 

WHAT'S NEXT: DONALD TRUMP, looking to eliminate a Stop Trump stronghold in Indiana, campaigns there. He also kicks off his California campaign in Orange County. HILLARY CLINTON and BERNIE SANDERS focus on upcoming contests in Indiana and West Virginia. 

THEY SAID IT: 

"This campaign is going to win." - BERNIE SANDERS, soldiering on in Indiana today.

MAGIC NUMBER: 10,056,691. That's the number of votes DONALD TRUMP has won in 2016 - already 250,000 more than MITT ROMNEY won during the 2012 primary. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=54ef34b4c313234ff9e15137392235b82eeb0e6bd280d391e4504e96c93ee2ff 

FOLLOW @POLITICO'S politics team: @PoliticoCharlie, @POLITICO_Steve, @PoliticoAlex, @anniekarni, @GlennThrush, @EliStokols, @katieglueck, @schreckreports, @gdebenedetti, @Hadas_Gold, @ec_schneider, @kyledcheney , @theodoricmeyer, @MarcACaputo, @PoliticoKevin,@mikeallen, @dlippman, @Danielstrauss4, @henrycjjackson, @shanegoldmacher,@KristinPolitico, @PoliticoScott, @Patrick_C_Reis

There you go - now you're caught up on the 2016 race. We'll see you back here Thursday.

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