Upset for Donald Trump as Ted Cruz Pulls Out Win in Wisconsin Primary

Cruz upset Trump with an unexpected victory in the Badger State

Photo: David T. Foster III/Charlotte Observer/TNS via Getty

Ted Cruz takes Wisconsin.

The Texas senator pulled out an impressive upset over front-runner Donald Trump in the state’s primary on Tuesday, according to polls from the Associated Press and Reuters.

Following his win, Cruz took to Twitter, referring to tonight as a “turning point.’

“God bless the great state of Wisconsin. What an incredible victory tonight!,” he wrote. “Tonight is a turning point. It is a rallying cry. It is a call from the hard-working men and women of Wisconsin to the people of America.”

He continued in multiple other tweets: “We have a choice. A real choice. Four very different states: Utah, Colorado, North Dakota, Wisconsin. Four Victories. I am more and more convinced that our campaign is going to earn the 1237 delegates needed to win the Republican nomination.

“We are winning because we are uniting the Republican Party. Tonight, Wisconsin has lit a candle guiding the way forward. Tonight, we once again have hope for the future.”

The Republican presidential hopeful took 52 percent of the vote, according to the AP poll, winning him all 24 delegates. Prior to his victory in the Badger State, Cruz held 481 delegates to Trump’s 737. Currently, Cruz and Trump have 505 and 737 delegates respectively.

1,237 are needed to secure the Republican nomination.

Cruz’ win followed a tough couple of days for Trump’s campaign, as the billionaire businessman faced criticism this past week over his comments about punishing women who seek out abortions if the procedure is outlawed, which many believe highlighted a disconnect between women voters and the GOP front-runner.

While Cruz’ Wisconsin win is certainly a blow to Trump – who hoped to win the delegates needed for a nomination before the July convention – it isn’t enough to seal the nomination for either candidate. However, it does increase the chances of a contested convention.

At a rally on Monday, Trump called for third place Republican candidate John Kasich to drop out of the race, as the real estate mogul feels that the Ohio governor is taking more votes from him than he is from Cruz.

“At a certain point in life, you say, ‘I’m 1 in 32’ and you do what Marco did – which was great – and you do what Rand Paul did and you do what a lot of them did and you get out,” Trump told the crowd. “He takes my votes away much more than he takes Cruz. I don’t like it. But you know what if we have to live with it, we still beat him.”

The next primary will be on April 19 when New Yorkers take to the polls and the candidates battle for the state’s 95 delegates.