Summary On the campaign trail in early May, the Republican Party primary race grew more contentious as it reached its final stages. On the same day as the May 3 Indiana primary, Republican front-runner Donald Trump, who held a sizable delegate lead over his two remaining primary challengers, Senator of Texas and Ohio Governor , cited the to accuse Cruz's of involvement in the of President . Cruz, whom Trump branded as "Lyin' Ted," attacked Trump as a "pathological liar" and "serial philanderer." Trump won Indiana by a large margin, prompting the second place Cruz to end his campaign. Thereafter, both the media and Chairman christened Trump as the presumptive nominee, even though he had yet to secure the requisite number of National Convention delegates. The next day, Kasich finally suspended his candidacy. As Trump pivoted into general election mode, he faced a vocal within the party and a significant polling deficit against the Democrats. A national CNN/ORC poll showed Trump trailing Democratic front-runner by double digits. Nevertheless, unlike the GOP, the outcome of the Democratic primary race remained undecided. Although Clinton maintained a significant delegate lead, a CNN poll showed her ahead of sole rival, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, by only eight points. In fact, Sanders won the Indiana Democratic primary, making nine victories out of the latest fourteen contests to that point. Donald Trump with a taco bowl on Cinco de Mayo. Commencing his general election campaign, Trump announced he would participate in fundraising after self-funding his primary campaign. He named former presidential rival, retired neurosurgeon to head a group to search for a running mate. And, in a show of pro- sentiment, he tweeted a photo of himself with a on . Still, the Republican Party remained divided. Paul Ryan said he would not commit to endorsing Trump. He called for Trump "to set aside bullying, [...] belittlement, and appeal to higher aspirations." Ryan's comments drew criticism from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former 2016 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, among others. However, former candidates and , as well as former Presidents George W. Bush and George H. W. Bush, all said they could not support Trump's candidacy. 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and editor both called for an independent presidential candidate to run as an alternative to Trump. Ryan called this "a disaster," and sought unity by inviting Trump to a Republican congressional leadership meeting and offering to step down as chair of the GOP National Convention if Trump so desired. Despite the internal strife, Trump continued his focus on the general election, branding Clinton as "crooked Hillary," and attacking her for "want[ing] to abolish the ." He also pivoted on policies, advocating for a rise in the federal and taxes on the wealthy. The campaign announced that five or six names were on the vice presidential shortlist including former presidential candidate . showed Trump leading or close behind Clinton in head-to-head match ups in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida. Clinton won the caucus in Guam and the campaign shifted to West Virginia and Nebraska. On the eve of the May 10 primaries, Cruz, still on the ballot in Nebraska, announced he might restart his campaign if he won the state. Instead, Trump won Nebraska by a wide margin and won West Virginia by an even wider margin. On the Democratic side, Sanders won West Virginia as voters turned on Clinton after she expressed unencouraging views about the .  exit polling there revealed nearly half of Sanders supporters said they would vote for Trump if Clinton won the nomination. Vice President Joe Biden, who had been expected to mount a 2016 campaign until he ruled it out in late 2015, admitted in an interview with  that he had planned to run for president in 2016 but the plans derailed upon the death of his son . He revealed Senator as his preferred running mate and endorsed her for the Democratic vice presidential nomination. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada cautioned Democrats against nominating a sitting Senator like Warren to avoid decreasing the number of Democrats in the Senate. Trump launched an assault on Warren, referring to her as "goofy" and for a previous claim of ancestry. On May 12, Trump had his much anticipated meeting with Ryan. Afterwards, the two issued a joint statement calling the meeting "a very positive step toward unification." Ryan still withheld his endorsement though Trump asked Ryan to remain as chair of the National Convention. Polls from mid-May showed Trump edging closer to Clinton in national head-to-head match ups, as Trump faced a barrage of controversies. Both Clinton and Romney called on Trump to release his tax records. He said he might release them, but maintained it was "none of [the public's] business." Media reports also scrutinized Trump for allegedly acting as his own publicist in the early 1990's. He denied the allegations outright. Next, The New York Times published an exposé about Trump's treatment of women throughout the years. The validity of the story came into question when the lead interviewee claimed The Times had taken her account out of context. On May 17, Trump easily won the Oregon primary. The next day, for the first time in months, a Fox News poll showed him with a national lead over Clinton. That same day, he released a list of eleven judges whom he would consider nominating to the U.S. Supreme Court. He later received an endorsement from the . In the Democratic race, Sanders won the Oregon primary and narrowly lost to Clinton in Kentucky. He was also able to add five of his supporters to the Democratic National Convention platform drafting committee, ensuring greater influence over the party platform. Clinton rejected a debate with him and announced there would be no further primary debates. Trump offered to debate Sanders, which Sanders accepted, though Trump later backed out. Clinton went on the offensive against Trump for his past business bankruptcies, saying he "could bankrupt America like he's bankrupted his companies." She won the Washington primary on May 24. However, the next day, an Inspector General report said she did not comply with State Department policy when she sent official e-mails on a private server while Secretary of State.
Summary On the campaign trail in early May, the Republican Party primary race grew more contentious as it reached its final stages. On the same day as the May 3 Indiana primary, Republican front-runner Donald Trump, who held a sizable delegate lead over his two remaining primary challengers, Senator of Texas and Ohio Governor , cited the to accuse Cruz's of involvement in the of President . Cruz, whom Trump branded as "Lyin' Ted," attacked Trump as a "pathological liar" and "serial philanderer." Trump won Indiana by a large margin, prompting the second place Cruz to end his campaign. Thereafter, both the media and Chairman christened Trump as the presumptive nominee, even though he had yet to secure the requisite number of National Convention delegates. The next day, Kasich finally suspended his candidacy. As Trump pivoted into general election mode, he faced a vocal within the party and a significant polling deficit against the Democrats. A national CNN/ORC poll showed Trump trailing Democratic front-runner by double digits. Nevertheless, unlike the GOP, the outcome of the Democratic primary race remained undecided. Although Clinton maintained a significant delegate lead, a CNN poll showed her ahead of sole rival, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, by only eight points. In fact, Sanders won the Indiana Democratic primary, making nine victories out of the latest fourteen contests to that point. Donald Trump with a taco bowl on Cinco de Mayo. Commencing his general election campaign, Trump announced he would participate in fundraising after self-funding his primary campaign. He named former presidential rival, retired neurosurgeon to head a group to search for a running mate. And, in a show of pro- sentiment, he tweeted a photo of himself with a on . Still, the Republican Party remained divided. Paul Ryan said he would not commit to endorsing Trump. He called for Trump "to set aside bullying, [...] belittlement, and appeal to higher aspirations." Ryan's comments drew criticism from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former 2016 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, among others. However, former candidates and , as well as former Presidents George W. Bush and George H. W. Bush, all said they could not support Trump's candidacy. 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and editor both called for an independent presidential candidate to run as an alternative to Trump. Ryan called this "a disaster," and sought unity by inviting Trump to a Republican congressional leadership meeting and offering to step down as chair of the GOP National Convention if Trump so desired. Despite the internal strife, Trump continued his focus on the general election, branding Clinton as "crooked Hillary," and attacking her for "want[ing] to abolish the ." He also pivoted on policies, advocating for a rise in the federal and taxes on the wealthy. The campaign announced that five or six names were on the vice presidential shortlist including former presidential candidate . showed Trump leading or close behind Clinton in head-to-head match ups in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida. Clinton won the caucus in Guam and the campaign shifted to West Virginia and Nebraska. On the eve of the May 10 primaries, Cruz, still on the ballot in Nebraska, announced he might restart his campaign if he won the state. Instead, Trump won Nebraska by a wide margin and won West Virginia by an even wider margin. On the Democratic side, Sanders won West Virginia as voters turned on Clinton after she expressed unencouraging views about the . ABC News exit polling there revealed nearly half of Sanders supporters said they would vote for Trump if Clinton won the nomination. Vice President Joe Biden, who had been expected to mount a 2016 campaign until he ruled it out in late 2015, admitted in an interview with ABC that he had planned to run for president in 2016 but the plans derailed upon the death of his son . He revealed Senator as his preferred running mate and endorsed her for the Democratic vice presidential nomination. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada cautioned Democrats against nominating a sitting Senator like Warren to avoid decreasing the number of Democrats in the Senate. Trump launched an assault on Warren, referring to her as "goofy" and for a previous claim of ancestry. On May 12, Trump had his much anticipated meeting with Ryan. Afterwards, the two issued a joint statement calling the meeting "a very positive step toward unification." Ryan still withheld his endorsement though Trump asked Ryan to remain as chair of the National Convention. Polls from mid-May showed Trump edging closer to Clinton in national head-to-head match ups, as Trump faced a barrage of controversies. Both Clinton and Romney called on Trump to release his tax records. He said he might release them, but maintained it was "none of [the public's] business." Media reports also scrutinized Trump for allegedly acting as his own publicist in the early 1990's. He denied the allegations outright. Next, The New York Times published an exposé about Trump's treatment of women throughout the years. The validity of the story came into question when the lead interviewee claimed The Times had taken her account out of context. On May 17, Trump easily won the Oregon primary. The next day, for the first time in months, a Fox News poll showed him with a national lead over Clinton. That same day, he released a list of eleven judges whom he would consider nominating to the U.S. Supreme Court. He later received an endorsement from the . In the Democratic race, Sanders won the Oregon primary and narrowly lost to Clinton in Kentucky. He was also able to add five of his supporters to the Democratic National Convention platform drafting committee, ensuring greater influence over the party platform. Clinton rejected a debate with him and announced there would be no further primary debates. Trump offered to debate Sanders, which Sanders accepted, though Trump later backed out. Clinton went on the offensive against Trump for his past business bankruptcies, saying he "could bankrupt America like he's bankrupted his companies." She won the Washington primary on May 24. However, the next day, an Inspector General report said she did not comply with State Department policy when she sent official e-mails on a private server while Secretary of State.
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ABC News
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ABC