Race for the White House shifts to New York
NEW YORK -- Last night, both presidential front-runners got whipped so they ran all the way home -- to New York.
That's the next primary, in two weeks. Republican Donald Trump has a huge lead in New York.
CBS News' Major Garrett reports, fresh off victory in Wisconsin, Ted Cruz arrived in the Bronx with a talking point in search of reality.
"It was a turning point I believe in this entire election," he said of his Wisconsin win.
Cruz's win blunted Donald Trump's momentum. But now the campaign shifts to the Northeast -- Trump territory. And Cruz quickly faced hostile questions about his take on so-called New York values.
"The people of New York know exactly what those values are," he said. "They're the values of liberal Democratic politicians like Andrew Cuomo, like Anthony Weiner, like Eliot Spitzer, like Charlie Rangel, all of them Donald Trump has supported."
"New York is a great place," Trump said. "It's got great people. It's got loving people, wonderful people."
Trump, a native New Yorker, has deflected that attack in the past. And a new poll out Wednesday gives him a 52 percent lead in the Empire State. John Kasich is second at 25 percent. Cruz a distant third at 17 percent.
Trump sat out election night in Wisconsin, but tweeted Wednesday that it's so great to be back home.
"I think I've had many bad weeks and I've had many good weeks," he said. "I don't see this as the worst week in my campaign."
But after a week where Trump garnered criticism for comments about abortion and his campaign manager was charged with battery, Trump is facing internal dissension within his campaign.
He huddled Wednesday with newly-hired strategist and veteran GOP operative Paul Manafort, who is angling for more influence over Trump's operation.
Sources CBS News the Trump-Manafort meeting lasted hours.
It came amid a clamor from state-based Trump operatives for a more organized and cohesive national campaign structure. Trump will have to decide how to split the roles of Manafort and his very loyal, but occasionally volatile campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski.
For the Democrats, Hillary Clinton has a commanding lead over Bernie Sanders.
Even so, after her loss in Wisconsin, the former Empire State senator is striking back, CBS News' Nancy Cordes reports.
"In a number of important areas, he doesn't have a plan at all," Clinton said of Sanders.
After taking a back seat in six straight states, the front-runner Clinton went into overdrive today. Hitting Sanders on the economy, and on guns.
"Senator Sanders wants higher standards for toy guns than real guns," Clinton said.
Sanders told the New York Daily News this week he did not think victims of gun violence should be able to sue gun manufacturers.
It did not go over well with the left-leaning paper, or with some family members of the Sandy Hook school massacre in neighboring Connecticut.
One tweeted, "Shame on you @BernieSanders. Try living an hour of our lives."
Shame on you, @BernieSanders try living one hour of our lives. Love, the #SandyHook Principal's Daughter https://t.co/fTLWBujm7E
— Erica L Smegielski (@EricaSmegs) April 6, 2016
So what does Sanders say to the Sandy Hook families who say he should apologize for his position?
"Well I would say that I think that it is -- we all area aware of what happened in Sandy Hook is a tragedy beyond comprehension," he said. "But maybe Secretary Clinton might want to apologize to the families who lost their loved ones in Iraq or Secretary Clinton might want to apologize to the millions of workers in this country who lost their jobs because of the disastrous trade agreements that she supported."
The Clinton campaign says that New York is a must win state for Sanders. Does Sanders think he can really beat her on her home turf?
"Well that's an interesting point. In my home state where the people know me pretty well, I got 86 percent of the vote," Sanders said. "Last poll I saw here, and we are closing the gap, she was 10 points ahead. I think we have an excellent chance to win."
The Clinton camp insists Sanders' winning streak is over now that the race has moved to larger, more diverse states.
But nobody told that to a crowd in Philadelphia.
The line to hear him speak Wednesday stretches more than a half a mile.