Ted Cruz smiles as he speaks at a campaign stop at the Florian Gardens on April 3 in Eau Claire, Wis. | AP Photo Ted Cruz wins Wisconsin Republican primary

Ted Cruz has won the Wisconsin Republican primary, according to three television networks.

The Texas senator led both Donald Trump and John Kasich by significant margins in the days leading up to the contest and last week picked up the endorsement of Gov. Scott Walker.


Cruz also earned the backing of two of the state’s congressional Republicans, Reid Ribble and Glenn Grothman, as he sought to bolster his case that he is the only viable alternative to Trump as the party’s nominee.

The win is a boost for anti-Trump forces as they try to prevent him from reaching the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination outright. If Trump falls short of that number, he risks an exodus of delegates on the second ballot at a contested convention.

Wisconsin awards 18 delegates to the statewide winner. Another 24 delegates are divided among the state’s 8 congressional districts, with the district-level winner getting all three delegates.

View full results: http://politi.co/1oGcEFv

2016 delegate tracker: http://politi.co/2176fPm