(CNN) Donald Trump can't lock up the Republican nomination Tuesday -- but he can counter his two opponents' divide-and-conquer strategy and reassert his dominance in the race by running the table in five states.
Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, could finally start to see the finish line. If she's able to handily defeat Bernie Sanders, she could leave the Vermont senator with no real path to the Democratic nomination.
Who's running for president?
Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, John Kasich, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders,
Businessman Donald Trump
announced June 16 at his Trump Tower in New York City that he is seeking the Republican presidential nomination. This ends more than two decades of flirting with the idea of running for the White House.
"So, ladies and gentlemen, I am officially running for president of the United States, and we are going to make our country great again," Trump told the crowd at his announcement.
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has made a name for himself in the Senate, solidifying his brand as a conservative firebrand willing to take on the GOP's establishment. He
announced he was seeking the Republican presidential nomination in a speech on March 23.
"These are all of our stories," Cruz told the audience at Liberty University in Virginia. "These are who we are as Americans. And yet for so many Americans, the promise of America seems more and more distant."
Ohio Gov. John Kasich joined the Republican field July 21 as he formally announced his White House bid.
"I am here to ask you for your prayers, for your support ... because I have decided to run for president of the United States," Kasich told his kickoff rally at the Ohio State University.
Hillary Clinton
launched her presidential bid on April 12 through a video message on social media. The former first lady, senator and secretary of state is considered the front-runner among possible Democratic candidates.
"Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion -- so you can do more than just get by -- you can get ahead. And stay ahead," she said in her announcement video. "Because when families are strong, America is strong. So I'm hitting the road to earn your vote, because it's your time. And I hope you'll join me on this journey."
Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, announced his run in an email to supporters on April 30. He has said the United States needs a "political revolution" of working-class Americans to take back control of the government from billionaires.
"This great nation and its government belong to all of the people and not to a handful of billionaires, their super PACs and their lobbyists," Sanders said at a rally in Vermont on May 26.
Nightcap: Ted Cruz and John Kasich join forces | Sign up
There are 172 Republican delegates at stake, and 384 up for grabs on the Democratic side, when Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island vote Tuesday in the "Acela primary," named after the high-speed train that shuttles commuters up and down the East Coast.
Here are five things to watch in Tuesday's contests:
How big is Trump's win?
The anti-Trump alliance is finally in place. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Trump's last two foes still standing, have unveiled a divide-and-conquer strategy that will see Cruz focus his efforts on denying Trump a victory in Indiana, a key contest a week away, while Kasich campaigns in Oregon and New Mexico.
Opinion: Can Cruz-Kasich strategy really stop Trump?
His opponents' targets might have shifted, but make no mistake: A sweep would be an important victory for Trump -- and a big step toward the 1,237 delegates he needs to clinch the GOP's nomination.
The Cruz-Kasich alliance only came together, after Trump crushed the competition in New York and then made clear to his opponents that they had no real room in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island.
Trump's go-to complaint now is that the GOP establishment's only chance of slowing his roll to the nomination is to deny the democratic process and steal it from him.
Of Cruz, Trump told a crowd in West Chester, Pennsylvania, on Monday: "So we're going to pick a guy that over a year got creamed, right? Got creamed. So you explain how that's done. You would have a revolt!"
Pennsylvania's wild card delegates could make or break Donald Trump
Whether Trump eventually racks up the delegate count he needs or not, big wins in Tuesday's contests could drive that point home.
Just as important, even with Cruz and Kasich now finally on the same page in an attempt to stop Trump, more big victories could give pause to donors to the #NeverTrump movement.
Clinton looks to lock things up
She won't hit the 2,383 delegates she needs to clinch the Democratic nomination Tuesday. But Hillary Clinton could come close enough to effectively decide the Democratic nomination if she wins big across the Northeast.
Clinton tried to nudge Sanders a bit Monday night in a town hall on MSNBC, noting that she has a much bigger lead right now than then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama held at this stage over her in 2008.
Opinion: Can Sanders' millennials switch to Clinton?
"It was so much closer than the race right now between me and Senator Sanders," she said.
Maryland poll: Clinton, Trump lead
Clinton also said she's not buying the Sanders campaign's belief that it can catch her in the total vote count when Democrats in delegate-rich California head to the polls in June.
"I am way ahead," Clinton said. "Look, I have the greatest respect for Sen. Sanders, but really, what he and his supporters are now saying just doesn't add up. I have 2.7 million more votes than he has. I have more than 250 more pledged delegates."
Her win in the New York primary last week was a key moment as Clinton denied Sanders his last real opportunity to fundamentally alter the race. On Tuesday night, Clinton can solidify that victory and eliminate Sanders' path to the nomination.
Will Sanders get any good news?
We have been here before.
After Clinton won big on Super Tuesday, she faltered in Michigan. And following her sweep of five big states on March 15, she watched Sanders reel off victories in six out of seven Western contests, slowing her momentum.
On Tuesday night, Sanders hopes for a similar moment to reassert his standing in the race.
Rhode Island looks like a good bet for Sanders, who has performed well in New England -- winning New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine and coming close in Massachusetts.
Former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders
US Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign rally in Chicago in March 2019. Sanders, an independent from Vermont, is the longest-serving independent in the history of Congress.
Sanders, right, leads a sit-in organized by the Congress of Racial Equality in 1962. The demonstration was staged to oppose housing segregation at the University of Chicago. It was Chicago's first civil rights sit-in.
Sanders takes the oath of office to become the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, in 1981. He ran as an independent and won the race by 10 votes.
Sanders, right, tosses a baseball before a minor-league game in Vermont in 1984. US Sen. Patrick Leahy, center, was also on hand.
In 1987, Sanders and a group of Vermont musicians recorded a spoken-word folk album. "We Shall Overcome" was first released as a cassette that sold about 600 copies. When Sanders entered the US presidential race in 2015,
the album surged in online sales. But at a CNN town hall, Sanders said, "It's the worst album ever recorded."
Sanders reads mail at his campaign office in Burlington in 1990. He was running for the US House of Representatives after an unsuccessful bid in 1988.
In 1990, Sanders defeated US Rep. Peter Smith in the race for Vermont's lone House seat. He won by 16 percentage points.
Sanders sits next to President Bill Clinton in 1993 before the Congressional Progressive Caucus held a meeting at the White House. Sanders co-founded the caucus in 1991 and served as its first chairman.
Barack Obama, then a US senator, endorses Sanders' Senate bid at a rally in Burlington in 2006.
Sanders takes part in a swearing-in ceremony at the US Capitol in January 2007. He won his Senate seat with 65% of the vote.
Sanders chats with Dr. John Matthew, director of The Health Center in Plainfield, Vermont, in May 2007. Sanders was in Plainfield to celebrate a new source of federal funding for The Health Center.
Sanders speaks to reporters in 2010 about the Obama administration's push to extend Bush-era tax cuts. Three days later, Sanders held a filibuster against the reinstatement of the tax cuts. His speech, which lasted more than eight hours, was published in book form in 2011. It is called "The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class."
Sanders and US Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, walk to a news conference on Capitol Hill in 2014. Sanders was chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
In March 2015, Sanders speaks in front of letters and petitions asking Congress to reject proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
In July 2015, two months after announcing he would be seeking the Democratic Party's nomination for President, Sanders
spoke to nearly 10,000 supporters in Madison, Wisconsin. "Tonight we have made a little bit of history," he said. "You may know that some 25 candidates are running for President of the United States, but tonight we have more people at a meeting for a candidate for President of the United States than any other candidate has."
Seconds after Sanders took the stage for a campaign rally in August 2015, a dozen protesters from Seattle's Black Lives Matter chapter
jumped barricades and grabbed the microphone from the senator. Holding a banner that said "Smash Racism," two of the protesters -- Marissa Johnson, left, and Mara Jacqueline Willaford -- began to address the crowd.
Sanders shakes hands with Hillary Clinton at a Democratic debate in Las Vegas in October 2015. The hand shake came after Sanders' take on
the Clinton email scandal. "Let me say something that may not be great politics, but the secretary is right -- and that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about the damn emails," Sanders said. "Enough of the emails, let's talk about the real issues facing the United States of America."
Sanders embraces Remaz Abdelgader, a Muslim student, during an October 2015 event at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Asked what he would do about Islamophobia in the United States, Sanders said he was determined to fight racism and "build a nation in which we all stand together as one people."
Sanders waves while walking in a Veterans Day parade in Lebanon, New Hampshire, in November 2015.
Sanders sits with rapper and activist Killer Mike at the Busy Bee Cafe in Atlanta in November 2015. That evening, Killer Mike
introduced Sanders at a campaign event in the city. "I'm talking about a revolutionary," the rapper told supporters. "In my heart of hearts, I truly believe that Sen. Bernie Sanders is the right man to lead this country."
Sanders speaks at a campaign rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in March 2016. He
won the state's primary the next day, an upset that delivered a sharp blow to Clinton's hopes of quickly securing the nomination.
Sanders speaks at a campaign event in New York's Washington Square Park in April 2016.
Sanders speaks at a rally in Santa Monica, California, in June 2016. He pledged to stay in the Democratic race even though Clinton secured the delegates she needed to become the presumptive nominee.
Sanders
endorses Clinton at a rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in July 2016.
Sanders
addresses delegates on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in July 2016.
Sanders thanks supporters after winning re-election to the Senate in November 2018.
Sanders looks at his notes as he watches President Trump deliver the State of the Union address in February 2019. That month, Sanders announced that he would be running for president again.
Sanders hugs a young supporter during a campaign rally in Los Angeles in March 2019.
Sanders addresses the audience at a CNN town hall in Washington in April 2019.
Sanders speaks next to former Vice President Joe Biden at the first Democratic debates in June 2019.
Sanders raises his fist as he holds a rally in Santa Monica, California, in July 2019.
Sanders grabs the hand of US Sen. Elizabeth Warren during the Democratic debates in Detroit in July 2019.
Sanders campaigns at the University of New Hampshire in September 2019. A few days later,
he took himself off the campaign trail after doctors treated a blockage in one of his arteries. Sanders suffered a heart attack, his campaign confirmed.
US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduces Sanders at a New York rally after endorsing him for president in October 2019.
In a
tense and dramatic exchange moments after a Democratic debate, Warren accused Sanders of calling her a liar on national television. Sanders responded that it was Warren who called him a liar. Earlier in the debate, the two disagreed on whether Sanders told Warren, during a private dinner in 2018, that he didn't believe a woman could win the presidency.
Sanders laughs during a primary-night rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, in February 2020. Sanders won
the primary, just as he did in 2016.
A triumphant Sanders raises his fist in San Antonio after he was projected to win
the Nevada caucuses.
Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden talk before a Democratic debate in Charleston, South Carolina, in February 2020.
Sanders addresses supporters during a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in March 2020.
Sanders speaks to reporters in Burlington, Vermont, a day after
Super Tuesday II. Sanders said it "was not a good night for our campaign from a delegate point of view" but that he looked forward to staying in the race and taking on Joe Biden in an upcoming debate.
Biden greets Sanders with an elbow bump before the start of a debate in Washington in March 2020. They went with an elbow bump instead of a handshake because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sanders: Path to nomination is not easy
But he faces long odds in the other four states on Tuesday's calendar.
It could be enough to end his chances at winning the Democratic nomination.
Time is running out for Sanders, whose unexpected and meteoric rise has actually continued: He has now caught Clinton in national Democratic polls, and he has raised more money than she has in the campaign so far. However, those national polls don't mean much now that most states have already voted, leaving him just 12 more contests where he can win delegates after Tuesday.
Clinton takes her foot off the gas on Sanders after New York win
If he doesn't pull off miracles Tuesday, Sanders will wake up the next day with tough decisions to make about the direction he wants to take the movement he's led.
Will he battle on through California in an attempt to narrow the delegate gap and turn the Democratic National Convention into a bitter battle that he stands little chance of winning? Or will he look to carve out a different role for himself in Democratic politics?
What's up with Pennsylvania?
The Keystone State is set for a chaotic night no matter how the immediate results pan out. That's because 54 of Pennsylvania's 71 directly elected delegates will enter the national convention unbound to any candidate.
Voters in each of the state's 18 congressional districts will pick from a menu of names with no formal indication of whom they plan to support in Cleveland. To help their chances, the Cruz and Trump campaigns have sought out loyal supporters among the ranks of the delegate candidates and distributed those names to voters.
Voices from the Rust Belt
Dolores, 85, and Richard Peters, 84, have been married since 1954 and have lived in Tonawanda, New York, just north of Buffalo, for more than 60 years. One recent afternoon over lunch at Ted's Hot Dogs, the Peterses said they've seen the population in their community change over the years, with younger people moving away in search of better jobs. Both voted for President Barack Obama twice. Neither of them planned to vote in the New York primary this year, and they haven't made up their minds about the general election. Dolores Peters says that she likes John Kasich because he seems "down-to-earth" and "honest as the day is long" and that she would have a tough time choosing between Kasich and Hillary Clinton. Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, is someone she would love to have as a neighbor, but she is not sold on the Vermont senator as a presidential candidate: "His solutions are way out there. Just too far out."
Dan Ivancic, 32, was born and raised in Tonawanda. He has been working at a lumber company on the city's waterfront for nine years and is hopeful that with investments in revitalizing areas like the waterfront, younger people in his generation will be drawn back to the city. Ivancic voted for Obama in the 2008 general election and sat out four years later because he was unhappy with the president and the rest of the field.This year, he voted for Donald Trump and considers himself more a Republican than a Democrat. His No. 1 issue is the economy. "I can respect what he's built and what he's achieved. He's a businessman, and if you run our country like a business, it should run successfully," Ivancic says of Trump. "Trump speaks the truth. He's not afraid of offending people, and he says what he's going to say, and that's that. I can respect that."
Most days, you can find Tim Wiles sitting in the corner of the Swannie House, a bar in Buffalo that he has owned for more than 30 years. Born and raised in the city, the 60-year-old said everyone fled after the big steel mills in the area closed. "Anybody that graduated from college, the only thing they could do was get out," he said. The city had gone through such hard times, he says, that when the 2008 financial crisis hit, some in his community hardly felt it: "We didn't suffer because we'd been suffering for so long." Wiles thinks Trump is the most qualified presidential candidate, and he is furious about efforts within the Republican Party to stop the GOP front-runner from getting the nomination. "If the Republicans don't lay off this man, I will never vote Republican," he said.
Greg Carter, 57, was born and raised in Buffalo and works in construction at the University of Buffalo's new medical school. He said he is raising an 18-month-old daughter on his own, and when asked about his top issue during this election, he said, "Our kids are our future. It's about the kids."Carter voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012 -- "He's done a whole lot for the people," he says -- and is supporting Clinton this time. "She knows what she's doing because her husband was president," he said of the Democratic front-runner. Carter fears the possibility of Trump becoming the country's next leader: "Trump, man. If he wins, we're done. He's a joke."
Ahead of Easter weekend, the Broadway Market in East Buffalo is bustling. There are vendors selling all kinds of treats: freshly popped flavored popcorn, Italian pastries, Polish pierogis and colorful Easter eggs. This is where CNN found Tony Krupski, a 73-year-old retired Polish-American, playing the accordion one Tuesday morning. He used to be in a polka band with his siblings and now plays in his free time in places like the market and senior homes. Krupski's biggest concern this election is terrorism, and he is supporting Trump. "It seems like Donald Trump has a better idea of trying to tighten things up so this ISIS thing doesn't hurt people," he said. After supporting Obama in 2008 and 2012, he voted for Sanders in the New York primary last week because he didn't want to change his party registration to Republican and doesn't want Clinton to become the Democratic nominee.
Mabel Neail, 63, has six children, 25 grandchildren and a handful of great-grandchildren. She was born in Youngstown and has lived there her whole life. In the 1980s, she worked at a towel supply company, but she says she hasn't worked since. She says she receives about $700 each month in Supplemental Security Income, $450 of which goes to rent for her home in the south side of Youngstown. Neail voted for Obama and is undecided this year. She says Clinton is a "nice lady and everything," but it's Sanders who she's drawn to on the Democratic side -- even if she can't quite remember his name: "What's his name -- Barney?" Neail likes Sanders' promise of free college because not all of her children were able to go to school. "I like that about him," she said. "A whole lot of people don't go to college maybe because they maybe can't afford it."
As mayor of Youngstown, John McNally has seen a number of the 2016 presidential candidates come through his city. But McNally, a Democrat who has not endorsed anyone in the election, says he hasn't yet heard a single candidate discuss what he believes is one of the most pressing issues facing his constituents: deteriorating infrastructure in Mahoning County. McNally says there seems to be a lot of interest in Trump -- particularly his message about national security. "But in the end, I'm not sure those are the issues I want to hear about as mayor," he said. "I want to hear what they all have to say about how they're going to help communities like Youngstown on infrastructure."
When Darlene Hood thinks about her life, she remembers these years: 1965 was the year her father died; 1978 was the year her mother died; 1985 was the year her oldest brother was killed. Hood was born in Youngstown in 1954, and her family left the city after the mils closed. But Hood decided to come back to a city that haunts her in the 1990s, and to this day, she can't explain why. "This is my home," she said. "You know how you can love and hate something at the same time?"Hood works at a group home in the north side of Youngstown, where she takes care of men with mental disabilities. Her dream is to run a group home of her own, where she can take her clients out to the amusement park and nearby cities like Cleveland or Pittsburgh. Hood hasn't decided whom she will vote for this year. She is excited about the idea of Clinton becoming the first female president, but she doesn't think anyone in the field can help her or her community. "It don't really matter to me, because ain't nobody gonna help me no way," she said.
Last month, Trump lost the Ohio Republican primary to the state's governor, Kasich. But the GOP front-runner proved to be strong in the counties along the state's eastern border, including Columbiana County, where he beat Kasich by 9 points. That's where Gary, 58, and Chris Gray, 53, live, just south of Youngstown. They have Trump signs in their front yard (and an extra one in their dining room "in case one of their friends needs one") and a bumper sticker on their Ford pickup. Both Grays have voted for Democrats and Republicans in the past. This year, they are inspired by Trump's promise of change. "He does say some things that are off the wall a little bit, but he's talking to the average person," Gary Gray said. "He's talking to people who haven't finished school." If Trump goes into the Republican convention this summer with the most delegates but doesn't come out of it as the GOP nominee, the Grays believe there will be riots: "It's going to be the people against the government."
Carolyn and Leroy Halverstadt are in their late 60s and live in East Palestine, south of Youngstown. The retired couple didn't vote in the Ohio primary, and they're still undecided on who to support in the general election. Carolyn Halverstadt is leaning toward Trump. "He's very forceful, but I really think that he would push to get things done," she said over breakfast at the popular Dutch Haus restaurant in Columbiana. Leroy Halverstadt says Trump "might be all right" as president, but he will probably end up supporting Clinton. But he has his reservations. "Even though she lied and all that stuff, I think she knows more than (Trump) does right now," he said.
Originally from New Orleans, Steven Alexander has lived in Erie since the 1990s. His wife died many years ago, and he says that raising his three children on his own can be a challenge, especially when steady jobs seem so hard to come by. In his neighborhood sits the GE Transportation plant that recently announced 1,500 layoffs. "You have to get out of Erie to get a good job," he said. "I can't seem to find a decent-paying job for myself." Alexander is an undecided voter and is considering backing Clinton. "Her husband was president, and he did a pretty good job," he said. But then he added, "Why would you lie when you were secretary of state?" Even as he constantly worries about making ends meet, Alexander's top concern this election is national security: "You don't know if ISIS is over here. You don't know who's over here."
Terri Eddy, 45, can't wait to get out of Erie. A widow who works at a Fuel-n-Food at a Shell gas station on Greengarden Boulevard, Eddy says her community has deteriorated before her eyes. "Back in the day, you could leave your doors unlocked and have your car doors unlocked. Now, you gotta make sure everything locked," she said. She saved enough money to buy a car recently, and she is waiting for the right opportunity to move away from Erie. Eddy says she may have voted once in her entire life and doesn't plan to vote this year, either. "When they get in, they don't do what they're supposed to," she said of elected officials. She is disappointed with Obama. Eddy says she thought the first African-American president would help the poor. "But after he got in, I think he did a horrible job," she said.
Cindi Orlando, 50, has loved raising her family in Erie. "You have everything here. If you want to go to Pittsburgh, go to Pittsburgh. Cleveland. You've got the lake, no natural disasters. All you've got is snow," she said. Her grandfather was the head of a steelworker's union, so while she has a lot of pride in Erie, Orlando has also had a front-row seat to the effects of the decline of manufacturing in the area. She says the violence seems to have gotten worse, and she worries about the hundreds of people who will be laid off from GE. "Where those people are going to go, I don't know."
Liberty Iron and Metal Co. is a giant recycling plant in Erie where all kinds of metal parts are brought in to be sorted, compressed and sent out to meld shops. Barry Rider, 65, who oversees the facility, says the past year or so has been difficult for his industry, and the city is hardly the "booming" place that it used to be. "It's surviving," he said. "The city itself needs to clean itself up."Rider has voted for both Democrats and Republicans, and his top priority this year is jobs. He declined to say who he is likely to vote for this year but did have this to say about Trump: "He doesn't scare me. A lot of people are scared of him: 'Oh, he's crazy. He'll do this and that.' He won't be able to do half the things he wants to do if he's elected."
Beth Zimmer wishes everyone would stop referring to Erie as the Rust Belt. "Rust happens from corrosion. The corrosion piece is in the past. Now we are emerging to be the Maker Belt," she said. The 51-year-old Erie native started a nonprofit group to help entrepreneurs and startups.Zimmer is an undecided independent voter and says she is worried about Trump's political rise: "I don't understand the fact that there are so many citizens out there that are supporting something that is seemingly so dangerous for our country." She says that she isn't seeing enough serious conversations in the 2016 election about things like the economy and job creation, and that for the time being, "I'm waiting for the circus to quiet down."
Sean Candela, 62, has lived in Erie his whole life and owns two restaurants near the entrance of Presque Isle State Park. Its beach was recently voted the No. 1 freshwater beach in the country, and the park is considered one of Erie's gems, drawing a flood of tourists in the summer to businesses like Candela's. He named his restaurants after his mother, Sara. "When I get tired, you think, well, you don't want anybody saying anything bad about your mother. So it gives you a little bit of extra energy," he said. Candela has not decided which presidential candidate he'll vote for this year, though as a business owner, one of his top priorities is to be able to do his job "with as little interference as possible." He says he understands both Trump's and Sanders' appeal. But, he added, "There's appeal, and there's reality. Can anybody in the system get a lot accomplished anymore?"
Resetting red and blue in the Rust Belt
Still, state GOP rules do not bind those would-be delegates to what they tell the campaigns, or anyone else.
How to become a Republican delegate
In all, more than 160 hopefuls will appear on the ballot Tuesday, with the Cruz campaign pushing for two write-in candidates. Of the more than 135 people who spoke with CNN, about 25% say they'll support Trump, while another 42% say they'll back their congressional district's winner -- good news for Trump, who is poised to win the popular vote by a heavy margin.
Twenty percent of respondents said they will support Ted Cruz, while 11% said they planned to remain uncommitted until a later date, possibly until the convention. None of the candidates told CNN they planned to support Kasich.
Poll: Trump, Clinton dominate head of Pennsylvania primary
The state's rules could make for a chaotic process of sorting out who's really won the state -- and nothing will be certain until the first ballot at the Republican National Convention, anyway, since all 54 of Tuesday night's delegate slot winners will be free to change their minds at any moment.
Can Cruz and Kasich win delegates?
It's all but certain that Trump will romp on Tuesday night. But Cruz and Kasich are hoping to at least pick off a few delegates.
Cruz is eying Maryland as his best chance. The state awards 24 of its 38 delegates to the winners of congressional districts, three apiece. Cruz targeted the state's rural areas, hoping to win one or two of Maryland's eight districts.
Ted Cruz and John Kasich: 2016 frenemies
Still, Cruz's allies acknowledge Tuesday will be brutal.
"Some of these states -- Connecticut, Rhode Island -- these are Rockefeller-type Republicans. They're not going to resonate with Cruz," state Sen. Michael Hough, the chairperson of Cruz's Maryland campaign told CNN. "Then in May, the map flips back."
Cruz is already in Indiana, a state that votes May 3 and has 58 delegates up for grabs.
Kasich, meanwhile, looks poised to pick up a few delegates in Rhode Island, which awards its 19 on a proportional basis -- and where Cruz might not reach the state's 10% threshold to qualify for any delegates.
He also campaigned hard in Pennsylvania, despite its limited number of delegates available to be won on primary day.
"We're going to have good results across these primaries. I'm very excited about what's going to happen tomorrow," Kasich said Monday in Philadelphia.
CNN's Gregory Krieg contributed to this report.
Correction: The percentages of Pennsylvania delegates responding to CNN's queries have been changed to reflect the number of respondents, rather than the total number of delegates