• by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, April 6, 2016

Both parties’ front-runners suffered setbacks as Wisconsinites went to the polls to pick a nominee for president. With votes counted, both Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz outdid the polling expectations leading into the contest.

Ted Cruz started voting day as barely a 5-point favorite over GOP leader Donald Trump. Likewise, Bernie Sanders had an almost negligible 2.6-point lead over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in polling averages.

The GOP movement attempting to bar Donald Trump from securing the party’s nomination before the convention could take Cruz’s 48.2% win as the first good sign that Republican voters are slowly coming around to the notion of what a Trump nomination would mean for the party.

According to analytics firm Networked Insights, the Twitter conversation nationwide around Donald Trump over the past few days suggested sentiments of stress, remorse and offense about the candidate.

Cruz’s lead in the polls increased significantly over the past couple of weeks, pointing to the success of negative advertising against Donald Trump. Our Principles PAC, the unaffiliated conservative super PAC, started airing the ads “Know” and “Trust” in late March, both questioning the commitment of Donald Trump to the conservative cause.

Considered the birthplace of the Republican party, Wisconsin has carried the “establishment” to its first big win against Trumpism. Gov. Scott Walker weighed in, featuring in a Ted Cruz ad that went to air on March 31, just days before the primary.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders had a better-than-expected win, picking up 56.5% of the Wisconsin vote. While he did arrive as the favorite, he doubled his poll lead when it came to voting night.

Hillary Clinton has slowly tried to pivot beyond the primary election, hoping for a smooth landing into the candidacy. Wisconsinites will add turbulence to Clinton’s approach, and a less-than-average showing from her in New York could be a serious concern.

Networked Insights saw the sentiment of “exasperation” in the Twitter conversation around Hillary Clinton increase a frightening 1,000% above the norm, with also above-average incidences of feelings of “anger” and “disgust.” While Twitter does not translate to votes, it gives insight into the dynamics at work in some parts of electorate, particularly among the Internet-savvy younger generations.

Hillary Clinton can still quell fears of an implosion with good results in New York and Pennsylvania this month. Donald Trump, however, will start to face the full force of the GOP opposition to his populist and brutish candidacy.