NEWS AND OPINION:
Presidential political theater continues with gusto. Among Democrats, Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernard Sanders are grappling for good press as they approach a significant debate which airs live from Brooklyn on CNN next week, just days before the New York primary. Republicans are having their moments. Following his victory in the Wisconsin primary, Sen. Ted Cruz is standing tall and striking the posture of the establishment candidate, or a reasonable facsimile therein. Ohio Gov. John Kasich gets feisty in concert with the ebb and flow of his poll numbers, and he’s still taking care of business, delivering a State of the State address even as the campaign wars rage.
Which brings us to GOP front-runner Donald Trump, who survived Mr. Cruz’s victory parade and now looks to the Empire State for vengeance. A pollster’s crystal ball has a glowing prediction. A new Monmouth University survey declares: “Donald Trump is positioned for a sweeping primary win in his home state of New York. He currently has the support of an outright majority of likely voters, a margin that suggests he could win nearly every delegate awarded by the state.”
The survey found that 52 percent of likely GOP primary voters in New York support Mr. Trump; 25 percent support Mr. Kasich, 17 percent Mr. Cruz. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has hefty support in the greater New York City region and upstate.
“If this result holds in every single congressional district, Trump will walk away with nearly all of New York State’s delegates,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth poll.
It’s all in the math: A third of the state’s likely GOP electorate hails from 16 congressional districts covering New York City and Long Island. But this area also accounts for a majority of the state’s 95 delegates. Things look promising for Mr. Trump. See more numbers in the Poll du Jour at column’s end.
CAPITAL TRUCKS
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The nation’s capital is not just a haven for limousines. It’s a truck town. The 440-horsepower Ford Super Duty pickup truck is a big seller in Washington, according to the manufacturer.
“It’s the big stuff that’s selling the most in the D.C. market,” says a Ford spokesman, who notes that recent monthly sales were “exceptionally strong” in the region and up by 23 percent since last year — compared to 12 percent nationally. And about that truck, which weighs over four tons and boasts a V8 turbo-diesel engine. Sales on the Ford Super Duty are up by 41 percent.
“It’s remarkable considering they were down 1 percent nationwide,” says the source, who adds that folks around the nation’s capital also favor the Ford Explorer, with sales up by 47 percent.
FOXIFIED
Talk about a great “get,” to use the parlance of media bookers. FOX News Sunday host Chris Wallace will conduct an exclusive sit-down interview with President Obama to air Sunday on FOX Broadcasting stations (check local listings) and on FOX News at 2 p.m. ET, with a repeat broadcast at 6 p.m. This is Mr. Obama’s first interview with the network since 2014, incidentally. On the agenda: the pending Supreme Court nomination, the 2016 election and the matter of presidential legacy. Mr. Wallace previously interviewed the president in 2008 when he was a U.S. Senator, and again in 2009 and 2013.
SELECTIVE SILENCE
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Two presidential hopefuls made two public comments on abortion: one candidate got loads of broadcast coverage, the other got none.
“During their morning and evening news shows, the three broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) haven’t spent one second of time on Hillary Clinton’s abortion comments in which she declared that an ’unborn person doesn’t have constitutional rights.’ In comparison, when Donald Trump called for “punishment” for women who undergo abortions, the news shows spent more than 20 minutes on the story in the following 24 hours,” writes Katie Yoder, an analyst for Newsbusters.com, a conservative watchdog.
The two gaffes sparked outrage among pro-life and pro-choice critics alike. But the networks appear to be protecting the Democratic front-runner.
“The outrage on both sides wasn’t enough to coax ABC, CBS and NBC,” Ms. Yoder said, noting that the pattern continues. “Both comments were about abortion. Both comments came from presidential candidates. Both comments faced outrage from the pro-life movement and abortion supporters. But the networks only covered one.”
FREE MARKET ON THE MENU
The Competitive Enterprise Institute, a liberty-minded nonprofit public policy group, has a big party with a big name on its calendar come June. Forbes Media chairman Steve Forbes is the keynote speaker for the institute’s annual dinner at a hotel three blocks from the White House. Mr. Forbes has his fans.
“There is one man whose very name is synonymous with free enterprise, the institutions of capitalism and entrepreneurial spirit,” says Kent Lassman, president of the host group, who says Mr. Forbes has “a keen eye for the hidden, distortive effects of government regulation.”
The institute itself tracks stifling government overreach, revealing Monday, for example, that the feds have already issued 800 regulations in 2016, and are on pace to issue 3,175 regulations by year’s end. Mr. Forbes recommends that the organization “continue its critically important role of protecting entrepreneurs, innovators, employers, and workers from government overreach.”
The dinner will also feature the charming and astute Mary Katharine Ham, CNN political commentator and senior editor for The Federalist, as master of ceremonies.
POLL DU JOUR
• 70 percent of likely Republican voters in New York would vote for Donald Trump if he were the GOP nominee facing Hillary Clinton in the general election; 9 percent would vote for Mrs. Clinton, 12 percent for an independent.
• 57 percent of likely GOP voters in New York say Donald Trump’s “controversial statements” have no impact on their vote.
• 52 percent of the voters support Mr. Trump for president; 25 percent support John Kasich, 17 percent Sen. Ted Cruz.
• 38 percent are completely sure of who they will vote for in the New York primary, 34 percent have a “strong preference,” 12 percent a “slight preference” and 14 percent are undecided.
Source: A Monmouth University poll of 302 likely Republican voters in New York conducted April 3-5.
• Hue and cry to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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