Todd M. Siebert: How the West was won: Trump and Cruz in primary showdown

GOP candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz (Photo: Twitter)

It’s another primary night for Republicans and Democrats, and GOP front-runner Donald Trump is widely expected to capture Arizona, Tuesday’s biggest prize with 58 delegates.

While Trump is a near-certainty in the Grand Canyon State, the GOP kingpin is expected to get hammered in the Utah caucuses, where Ted Cruz is the favored Republican candidate.

The primaries and caucuses come on the same day ISIS claimed responsibility for multiple bombings in Brussels, Belgium, that left at least 34 dead and hundreds injured.

Both Trump and Republican rival Ted Cruz called for law enforcement to patrol Muslim neighborhoods in the U.S. to monitor for suspicious activity.

Trump also reiterated his calls for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the U.S. if they are not citizens.

“You’re going to make certain exceptions, and exceptions on heads of state and some of these people, and I’m not saying we don’t do that,” Trump told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. ” But we have a real problem, and people don’t have any idea what’s going on. We have a government that’s impotent, a government that doesn’t get it. It doesn’t understand what’s happening.”

Trump also told Fox News he would close America’s borders: “We have to be very, very vigilant with who we let into this country. We are taking in people without real documentation. We don’t know who they are or where they’re from. We don’t learn. … This whole thing will get worse as time goes by.”

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Meanwhile, Democrat front-runner Hillary Clinton cautioned against widespread criticism of President Obama for his refusal to say the words radical Islamic terrorism.

“I call it radical jihadist terrorism because it is clearly rooted in Islamic thinking that has to be contested first and foremost by Muslims around the world,” Clinton said. “But I think it is a mistake … to do anything that implies we are at war with an entire religion, with 1.2 or 4 billion people. It is not only wrong, it is dangerous. Right here at home, we need to be reaching out and including Muslim Americans and communities where they live in our first line of defense.”

In Arizona – the third largest winner-take-all state in the GOP race – Trump is popular among voters, as he has called for the ban on Muslims, increased border security and deportation of illegal immigrants in the U.S. The Republican front-runner is supported by Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former Gov. Jan Brewer, and a massive rally in Phoenix showed his strength in the state last summer. A strong showing in Arizona Tuesday may indicate Trump will also do well in neighboring California during its June 7 primary.

Clinton also held a large lead in Arizona polls when Tuesday’s votes were cast. The state is seen as yet another stepping stone on her path to the Democratic Party nomination.

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But Utah is another story. A new poll by Y2 Analytics showed Cruz polling at 53 percent in Utah, and he was expected to beat Kasich and Trump in a decisive win there. Kasich came in second at 29 percent and Trump a distant third at 11 percent.

Utah’s 40 Republican delegates are assigned proportionally – unless a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote.

“Ted Cruz is the only candidate showing the potential to get more than 50 percent of the vote in Utah,” said Y2 Analytics founding partner Quin Monson.

If Cruz falls short of 50 percent, Utah’s delegates will be distributed proportionally to candidates who reach a 15 percent threshold. Kasich has campaigned aggressively in Utah with major TV ad buys and campaign appearances, and he could help prevent Cruz from reaching the 50 percent mark.

Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has said he will vote for Cruz in Utah.

“At this stage, the only way we can reach an open convention is for Senator Cruz to be successful in as many of the remaining nominating elections as possible,” Romney wrote on his Facebook page, adding: “I will vote for Senator Cruz and I encourage others to do so as well, so that we can have an open convention and nominate a Republican.”

According to the poll, 81 percent of Utah Republicans say the GOP is on the wrong track. And 64 percent say Trump as the Republican nominee will weaken the party.

As for Democrats, Sanders has a slim lead over Clinton in Utah, beating her by 8 percentage points in the latest survey from Deseret News/KSL. Sanders is also running a close race against Clinton in Idaho.

Tuesday’s primary results will be recorded below as they come in.

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Idaho Caucuses (Democrat)

27 Democrat delegates – awarded proportionally to candidates who receive at least 15 percent

With 0 percent reporting:

Clinton: 0 percent

Sanders: 0 percent

Arizona primary (GOP)