Will Republican voters turn their backs on Trump?

Trump’s one serious rival, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, claimed a pivotal win in the midwestern state today. It will halt the frontrunner’s momentum, and make his quest to compile a majority of delegates before the Republican convention all the more difficult.

“Tonight is a turning point. It is a rallying cry,” Cruz told his supporters in his victory speech.

“Either before the convention or at the convention, we will win a majority of the delegates, and we will beat Hillary Clinton in November.”

Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders has beaten former Firsty Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side.

We’ll bring you all the results from Wisconsin as they come in.

REPUBLICANS (97.8% counted)

Ted Cruz 48.3%, Donald Trump 35.1%, John Kasich 14%

DEMOCRATS (97.9% counted)

Bernie Sanders 56.4%, Hillary Clinton 43.3%

Ted Cruz was expected to surge past Trump in Wisconsin today.Source:AP

HOW TRUMP CAN STILL BE STOPPED

Republicans still have one chance to defeat Donald Trump — at their party’s national convention in July. Here’s how it works.

Based on their results in each state’s primary, the candidates are all assigned a certain number of delegates. There are 2,472 of these delegates in total, and at the convention, they officially elect the party’s nominee.

This vote is usually just a formality, because usually the Republican frontrunner easily wins a majority of the delegates. To claim the nomination without any fuss, Trump needs to do the same.

But if Trump arrives at the convention without a majority of the delegates (he currently has fewer than 800), the vote will be inconclusive, and at that point, the rules change. Some of the delegates who were previously bound to support their assigned candidate become “unbound”, and can switch to someone else’s team. Then there’s another vote.

This process repeats itself until one person wins a majority, and that person officially becomes the Republican nominee.

Trump is despised by a huge number of so-called “establishment” Republicans, which means if his delegates become unbound, many are likely to defect to other candidates. So, if Trump’s rivals can deny him a majority on the first ballot, his chances of winning the nomination will plummet.

Trump needs a majority of delegates. He might not get there.Source:AP

SO, WHAT’S NEXT?

We’re entering the home stretch of the primaries, with only 16 states left on the calendar after today’s contest. Hillary Clinton is still the overwhelming favourite for the Democratic nomination, but Trump is no sure thing on the other side.

These are the remaining Republican contests.

APRIL 19: New York

New York is the only state voting on April 19.Source:news.com.au

APRIL 26: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania

These states are all favourable for Trump.Source:news.com.au

MAY 3: Indiana

If Trump fails to win Indiana, he’ll definitely struggle to attain a majority of delegates.Source:news.com.au

MAY 10: Nebraska, West Virginia

These two states are also potential pick-ups for Cruz.Source:news.com.au

MAY 17: Oregon

Oregon is a small state with small implications.Source:news.com.au

MAY 24: Washington

Ditto.Source:news.com.au

JUNE 7: California, Montana, South Dakota, New Mexico, New Jersey

The final day of voting includes California, with a monstrous 172 delegates up for grabs.Source:news.com.au