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GOP Primary: Ted Cruz Makes Indiana Hoosiers Movie Gaffe At Rally — ‘Basketball Ring’

By Dustin Murrell
Published on: 03:48 PST, Apr 27, 2016

Senator Ted Cruz accidentally said “basketball ring” while making a Hoosiers movie reference at a rally in Knightstown, Indiana, on Tuesday night. With a gaffe like that, will Governor John Kasich’s resignation of the race in Indiana be enough for “Lying Ted” to win the delegates he needs to stop Donald Trump? Indiana is the next big GOP primary following the recent Pennsylvania primary, where Donald Trump dominated both Ted Cruz and John Kasich.

In Indiana, Ted Cruz was speaking to his supporters at a rally in preparation for the Indiana primary. Senator Cruz did not do well against Trump in the Pennsylvania primary, with Cruz getting just one delegate on Tuesday compared to Trump’s 105 delegates. Also at the GOP primaries on Tuesday, John Kasich received five delegates, leaving the Trump vs. Cruz-Kasich score at 105-6. Donald Trump won the Pennsylvania primary far and away. Now, Ted Cruz looks ahead to Indiana.

Will the Ted Cruz/John Kasich team be enough to stop Donald Trump and win the Indiana primary?

Ted Cruz’s Indiana Hoosiers gaffe

The idea that the Ted Cruz campaign had for Indiana was a simple nod to Hoosiers, arguably the best basketball film of all time (and arguably the best movie ever set in Indiana). In the film, as the team prepares for a big game, the coach tries to calm his players’ nerves by climbing a ladder and demonstrating that the basketball rim is 10 feet from the ground just like it is in their home gym.

As reported by the Kansas City Star, Ted Cruz pointed the Indiana crowd to a man in a sweater vest standing on a red ladder with a measuring tape. The delivery should have been a complete layup. If done right, the impact could have been a slam dunk. Instead, Cruz took a cue from another sport and fumbled the opportunity completely.

“The amazing thing about that basketball ring here in Indiana, it’s the same height as it is in New York City. And every other place in this country.”

Cruz finished his Hoosiers reference with an awkwardly-placed, “and there is nothing that Hoosiers cannot do.” While trying to appeal to a crowd of Indiana Hoosiers at the site where their favorite movie was filmed, Cruz sounded as if basketball was a foreign concept to him. It’s unclear where he got a phrase like “basketball ring” at all.

RELATED REPORTS BY THE INQUISITR

Pennsylvania primary: Donald Trump 105, Ted Cruz 1, John Kasich 5

Donald Trump dominated the Pennsylvania primary and the GOP primary in all five states on the April 26 edition of Super Tuesday. The Maryland primary was Trump’s worst state, and he still got 54 percent of the vote. John Kasich’s best GOP primary on Tuesday was Connecticut, where he earned 29 percent of the vote. Hoping to do better in Indiana, Ted Cruz peaked in the Pennsylvania primary with 22 percent of the vote.

More than any other state, Donald Trump dominated the GOP primary in Rhode Island with an outstanding 64 percent, the biggest number for any Democratic or Republican candidate from Tuesday’s presidential primary results.

GOP primary in Indiana: Trump vs. Cruz-Kasich

Bowing out of the Indiana primary, Kasich is hoping Cruz can do in Indiana what they failed to do during the Maryland primary on Tuesday: beat Donald Trump. The latest polls in Indiana show Donald Trump vs. Ted Cruz ending up the same way as the other GOP primary elections. However, according to the most recent polls, Cruz could easily beat Trump in Indiana if the Kasich supporters agree to vote for Ted instead of John.

What’s at stake for Ted Cruz in Indiana? Delegates are at stake: 57 to be exact. Thirty of the delegates are awarded in a “winner-takes-all” fashion. The remaining 27 delegates from the Indiana primary are split among the nine Indiana congressional districts (three delegates per district). Compared to the Pennsylvania primary, which awarded just 17 delegates to the overall winner, leaving 54 delegated undeclared. Winning the Indiana primary would be huge.

Hoping to play spoiler in Indiana, Ted Cruz will have to improve his game. Trump needs 284 more delegates to secure the Republic presidential nomination. If the Cruz-Kasich super-team has any hope of stopping Donald Trump, Indiana is going to have to be a priority.

When is the Indiana primary?

Hoosier voters will have the chance to decide between Donald Trump, John Kasich, and Ted Cruz in Indiana on May 3. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will be competing in the Democratic primary in Indiana.

[Photo by Charles Ledford/Getty Images]

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