Clinton targets Trump in TV ad, as Sanders ups pressure

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Poll: Bernie Sanders leads Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin

If Wisconsin is next, why is Clinton campaigning in New York? Ed Henry reports

Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is running a new TV ad in New York targeting potential general election Republican foe Donald Trump, while still facing a critical primary in the coming weeks.

The ad, titled “New York,” attacks Trump, the GOP front-runner, for his hardline immigration policies and the violence at some of his rallies.

It opens with imagery depicting New York’s diversity while Clinton says some people think America's problems can be solved by "building walls" and "banning people based on their religion."

“This is New York. And we know better,” Clinton says.

Clinton has a commanding lead over Democratic rival Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, but a loss in the April 19 primary in her adopted home state of New York would be a big setback and continue to give Sanders momentum.

The Brooklyn-born Sanders has won five of the last six primary-caucus contests, with his campaign furiously trying to close Clinton’s delegate lead before the Democratic nominating convention in July.

“We are making a big commitment to New York state,” Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said Monday, two days after his candidate swept Clinton in the Alaska, Hawaii and Washington caucuses.

Clinton, a former New York senator, has scheduled campaign events Wednesday and Thursday in New York but has so far declined to debate Sanders on their mutual home turf.

Clinton, whose campaign headquarters is in Brooklyn, leads Sanders in the delegate count 1,712-to-1,004. They are competing for 247 delegates in New York.

The 30-second ad, in which Clinton does not appear until the end, also includes an image of a man being punched at a recent Trump rally and briefly flashes a sign from one of the New York billionaire businessman’s new hotels.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.