14:47, UK,Wednesday 06 April 2016
Texas Senator Ted Cruz has won the Wisconsin Republican primary, further hampering front runner Donald Trump's bid for the nomination.
On the Democratic side, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders defeatedHillary Clinton by 56% to 43% to take his sixth victory out of the last seven contests.
Both Mr Sanders and Mr Cruz still have ground to make up to overtake their rivals in the delegate counts before the party conventions in late July.
Mr Cruz took more than 48% of the vote to 35% for Mr Trump, giving the Texas senator the lion's share of the state's 42 delegates.
:: Wisconsin Exposes Chink In Trump's Armour
Some 86 delegates were in play for the Democrats, but even with Mr Sanders projected to take the majority he still trails Mrs Clinton by nearly 700, including the party's superdelegates.
On the Republican side, the Wisconsin results leave Mr Trump with 743 delegates to Mr Cruz's 517.
:: Road To Winning The Nomination
Mr Cruz called his victory in the Badger State a "turning point" in the election.
:: Road To Winning The Nomination
Mr Cruz called his victory in the Badger State a "turning point" in the election.
The ultraconservative senator has welcomed a boost in support from more moderate Republicans who hope to stop Mr Trump from being anointed as their candidate for November's election.
"We've got the full spectrum of the Republican party coming together and uniting behind this campaign," Mr Cruz told supporters at a victory rally in Milwaukee.
His win in the Midwestern battleground state raised the prospect of a contested convention in July, which would occur if no candidate reaches the 1,237-delegate mark needed to win the nomination.
Fellow Republican hopeful John Kasich, who has just 143 delegates, appears to have his sights set on such an outcome.
After finishing a distant third on Tuesday, the Ohio governor sought to validate his campaign by tweeting polling data that projected him as the only Republican candidate who could defeat Mrs Clinton.
Mr Trump, meanwhile, will look to the New York primary in two weeks to help put his campaign back on track.
The billionaire businessman holds a generous lead in opinion polls in his home state.
Mr Trump has been on the defensive after self-inflicted wounds such as his attacks on Mr Cruz's wife, an abortion gaffe and his campaign manager allegedly roughing up a reporter.
