N.Y. Crucial in Presidential Races
BLITZER: Many of the polls across New York State have been open since 6:00 this morning. That's been decades since the New York played such an important role in the race for the Republican nomination, and it's also a crucial test for the Democrats this time as well. Miguel Marquez is in a polling station in Lancaster, New York, not far from Buffalo. Miguel, Upstate New York in particular is a key part of the race for the Republican presidential candidates. What are they expecting?</s>MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's heavy today. In a typical primary, they've got about 35 percent of the eligible electorate turning out. As of this morning, they had 15 percent turn out. When they get busy this afternoon, as people get out of work and it will get much busier. We're in Lancaster outside of Buffalo, a place you know well, they've had hundreds of people come here so far today. It's a bit of a lull now because it's lunch hour but they cycle them through very, very quickly. They are fast here in Buffalo. To their various voting districts there and to the privacy screen so that they can actually vote. We're seeing high interest because there's three New Yorkers in this race. Donald Trump has great ties to Buffalo. He was here last night. He has ties to the real estate community here. Hillary Clinton started her Senate campaign here in 1999. Has very strong ties here. And Bernie Sanders has been here several times as well, upstate. The state's largest city playing a huge role in this election and the vote clearly getting out -- Wolf?</s>BLITZER: Thank you very much, Miguel. Enjoy Buffalo. Let's talk about what's going on with our political panel. Joining us, Angela Rye, a CNN political commentator and the former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus; Amanda Carpenter, the former communications director for the Ted Cruz campaign and the political commentator; and Scottie Nell Hughes, chief political commentator with the USA Radio Network. She's a Donald Trump supporter. Amanda, who has the most to gain tonight?</s>AMANDA CARPENTER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think Donald Trump. Not just because he's probably going to win New York but what I'm looking for is how he handles his win. All over the air waves in the run-up to the primary, his surrogates and members of his campaign has been accusing other people of fraud and even bribery and dirty tricks, all this kind of stuff. So Donald Trump coming after a win. What does he do with that momentum going into the states? As he rises to the level of being a candidate that will finally campaign on the issues or is he only going to make this about smearing others and if he does too that, I think he will continue to repel delegates from coming over to him because no one has seen him able to rise to talking about the issues and going into a general election against Hillary Clinton where we saw Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders really get into debating over a minimum wage and financial services industry and can't put Donald Trump against Hillary Clinton in that environment.</s>BLITZER: Scottie, what do you make of the reports that there's a shake-up inside the Trump campaign he's moving to a new level? Older campaign staffers are moving up and new ones coming?</s>SCOTTIE NELL HUGHES, CHIEF POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, USA RADIO NETWORK: I think this is called growth. These are natural growing pains as we get ready to go into a convention. I do think Mr. Trump because he is reflective of the popular vote is still going to make that magic number and there's a good chance we're not going to have a brokered convention and after July, he will definitely be our nominee. But just in case, this is kind of like an insurance policy. Wolf, you get a team in place and people exactly where they I think Mr. Trump is very optimistic hoping the people's vote would actually matter and we continue to not have these delegate shenanigans and Kasich already boasting that he has the majority of the delegates in Indiana and the primary hasn't happened yet. These shenanigans would not necessarily shape the Republican Party with the effect it is today but it's coming out some of the state primaries and the state parties have their own way of thinking that might not necessarily be reflective of the people who vote as Republicans in the state.</s>BLITZER: Angela, I know you speak to Democratic Party insiders behind the scenes. Who would face the biggest or represent the biggest challenge to the Democratic nominee whether it's Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders? Among the three remaining Republicans.</s>ANGELA RYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: You know, Wolf, I think that's quite a toss-up. I think folks don't like Ted Cruz or Donald Trump. I think the reality of the situation is Ted Cruz the starting to seem more reasonable because of how far Donald Trump has been but most of us know that Ted Cruz's policies aren't that much different from Donald Trump's policies. The main difference is that there's a little bit more meat and substance which from my vantage point makes it a little more scary. So the reality of it is either one I'd say, you're picking your poison.</s>BLITZER: Amanda, you've taken a look closely at the numbers. Ted Cruz, let's say he comes in third today. The polls suggest he might and doesn't do well in the next five states and in Pennsylvania and some of the other states that are coming a week from today. What will happen? He won't be able to mathematically, like John Kasich, not yet to that magic number on the first ballot. What happens then?</s>CARPENTER: Here's the thing. All Ted Cruz has to do is stop Donald Trump from get 1237. Next week will be hard contests for the Cruz campaign. They need to eek out delegates in places like Maryland and Delaware and continue to add and wait for the calendar to turn back their way when they go to Indiana, California, Washington, Oregon to comply with the mail-in ballot and favors campaigns that are more organized. If they can survive the next two weeks, then play well in the final contest going into the convention, momentum will be on their side when it counts the most.</s>BLITZER: Scottie, I want you to react.</s>HUGHES: This is interesting how many times you use the word survive and that's never a good word with the campaign. And when two campaigns look to cause chaos within a party that will divide, you can actually see what their goal is. We have to go up against a great machine on the Democratic side, whether it's Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. In the end, I hate tell my buddy, Amanda, it doesn't matter about these delegates counts that we have to deal with in the primary. It matters about getting people motivated to the polls. But right now, Mr. Trump has a larger popular vote and every time delegates aren't necessarily, you don't pull the same shenanigans in November.</s>BLITZER: Very quickly. Go ahead, Amanda, very quickly.</s>CARPENTER: One quick point. The field organization does matter a lot. I agree with you, Scottie. And Ted Cruz is the only person that's built a national campaign with field activism in every state that can go toe to toe with Hillary Clinton.</s>HUGHES: Congratulations. He's a politician.</s>CARPENTER: -- and he hasn't done that yet and he won't be able to do it now.</s>HUGHES: That's why you have the Republican Party.</s>BLITZER: Stand by, guys because there's more coming up. It will likely be on another story we're following right now. President Obama's final visit to Saudi Arabia as the president of the United States. This will be the fourth time he's visited Saudi Arabia since taking office. But it might be far from a fond farewell. Tensions between the gulf state and the U.S. are causing some international and domestic problems for the president. We're going to tell you what's going on, set the stage when we come back.