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| Super Tuesday: Voters head to the polls, but not all are pleased by the choices | Super Tuesday: Voters head to the polls, but not all are pleased by the choices |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| HOUSTON — Voters headed to the polls Tuesday across the South and New England, casting ballots in a contest that could secure the front-runner status of both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, even as their rivals launched a concerted push to stave off their coronations. | HOUSTON — Voters headed to the polls Tuesday across the South and New England, casting ballots in a contest that could secure the front-runner status of both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, even as their rivals launched a concerted push to stave off their coronations. |
| Faced with a massive day of voting across nearly a dozen states, candidates made their pitches to Americans on the air and in photo-ops at polling spots in areas poised to support them. | Faced with a massive day of voting across nearly a dozen states, candidates made their pitches to Americans on the air and in photo-ops at polling spots in areas poised to support them. |
| Many voters — including in Virginia, where voting began at 6 a.m. — were noticeably unenthusiastic about their choices on the presidential primary ballot, even as they felt obligated to turn out. | Many voters — including in Virginia, where voting began at 6 a.m. — were noticeably unenthusiastic about their choices on the presidential primary ballot, even as they felt obligated to turn out. |
| In Arlington, Va., one defense contractor, Nick Bryant, said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is the only one on the GOP ballot looking for middle ground. | In Arlington, Va., one defense contractor, Nick Bryant, said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is the only one on the GOP ballot looking for middle ground. |
| “Out of the options, he’s the better one, but I wish he had more experience,” said Bryant, 54. “If both parties dig in their heels and stick to their guns, how do we govern? I really like Kasich, I like his calm and even tone, his demeanor. But you have to get ratings now, and he hasn’t.” | “Out of the options, he’s the better one, but I wish he had more experience,” said Bryant, 54. “If both parties dig in their heels and stick to their guns, how do we govern? I really like Kasich, I like his calm and even tone, his demeanor. But you have to get ratings now, and he hasn’t.” |
| Bob Green, 68, a lawyer, voted for Clinton based on the expertise she has developed over the course of her career. “Politics is the only profession in America where experience is devalued,” he said. “I think she’ll destroy Trump. If they put the bloodhounds on him that they put on her, you’ll be surprised at what they find.” | Bob Green, 68, a lawyer, voted for Clinton based on the expertise she has developed over the course of her career. “Politics is the only profession in America where experience is devalued,” he said. “I think she’ll destroy Trump. If they put the bloodhounds on him that they put on her, you’ll be surprised at what they find.” |
| Others, however, were less inspired by Clinton. Barbara Kennedy, 51, a freelance writer who cast her ballot at the same polling station as Green, said she considered Clinton safe but uninspiring. “I was just thinking about all the hope we had eight years ago,” she said. “Now you’ve got to choose the best of the worst.” | Others, however, were less inspired by Clinton. Barbara Kennedy, 51, a freelance writer who cast her ballot at the same polling station as Green, said she considered Clinton safe but uninspiring. “I was just thinking about all the hope we had eight years ago,” she said. “Now you’ve got to choose the best of the worst.” |
| And Claudia Mackintosh, a 61-year old real estate agent voting in Norfolk. Va., said she was opting for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) instead. | And Claudia Mackintosh, a 61-year old real estate agent voting in Norfolk. Va., said she was opting for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) instead. |
| “It’s tragic. I would love to see a woman president, but I just don’t trust her,” she said. “My perception is that she’s controlled by the corporate donors.” | “It’s tragic. I would love to see a woman president, but I just don’t trust her,” she said. “My perception is that she’s controlled by the corporate donors.” |
| In suburban Richmond, where a tea party unknown named Dave Brat unseated then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a primary two years ago, some voters were still in a throw-the-bums-out mood. | In suburban Richmond, where a tea party unknown named Dave Brat unseated then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a primary two years ago, some voters were still in a throw-the-bums-out mood. |
| “The establishment had its turn and didn’t get the job done,” said Ben Alred, a 52-year-old middle school history teacher who cast his ballot for Trump at Maybeury Elementary School in Henrico County. | “The establishment had its turn and didn’t get the job done,” said Ben Alred, a 52-year-old middle school history teacher who cast his ballot for Trump at Maybeury Elementary School in Henrico County. |
| “My feeling is, we need someone who can make definitive decisions and has no ties to the infrastructure in Washington,” he said. “He’s definitely someone who’s not aligned with any party too deeply.” | “My feeling is, we need someone who can make definitive decisions and has no ties to the infrastructure in Washington,” he said. “He’s definitely someone who’s not aligned with any party too deeply.” |
| Elsewhere in the country, voters confronted each other, an extension of the name-calling that has taken place among several of the candidates themselves. | Elsewhere in the country, voters confronted each other, an extension of the name-calling that has taken place among several of the candidates themselves. |
| At a polling place in Houston where Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) cast his vote Tuesday, Francisco Valle, 74, held a sign depicting Trump with a Hitler-style mustache and his right hand raised; it read, “absolutely no Mexicans.” Valle also hung a sign with the letter T and word “Trump” in the shape of a swastika with “STOP” written beneath. | At a polling place in Houston where Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) cast his vote Tuesday, Francisco Valle, 74, held a sign depicting Trump with a Hitler-style mustache and his right hand raised; it read, “absolutely no Mexicans.” Valle also hung a sign with the letter T and word “Trump” in the shape of a swastika with “STOP” written beneath. |
| “I am here because I want to make awareness of a movement that is very dangerous to all the minorities, because Hitler started the same way,” said Valle, who is Mexican American. “He blamed the Jews for all the problems, and now Trump is blaming the Mexicans for the problems.” | “I am here because I want to make awareness of a movement that is very dangerous to all the minorities, because Hitler started the same way,” said Valle, who is Mexican American. “He blamed the Jews for all the problems, and now Trump is blaming the Mexicans for the problems.” |
| At one point — before Cruz arrived — another voter, William Bruso, interrupted Valle when he answered questions for members of the Spanish-language media. | |
| “Since most of us here speak English, can you repeat what you just said in English for everyone to understand, sir?” said Bruso, who was wearing a Cruz sticker and said he was half-Hispanic. “This is America, you know.” | |
| And in some states, Democrats decided to vote for Rubio as a way of embarrassing Trump. | And in some states, Democrats decided to vote for Rubio as a way of embarrassing Trump. |
| Tom Paquin, a resident of Cambridge, Mass., said in an email that his decision to back the Florida senator “might be the only Republican vote in this part of town.” | |
| “Given Trump’s support in my state among the Neanderthals in western Massachusetts, I doubt it’ll make much of a difference,” Paquin added. “But I’m hopeful enough common-sense conservatives will rally behind the establishment choice, as vague a choice as it is with such a diluted field.” | “Given Trump’s support in my state among the Neanderthals in western Massachusetts, I doubt it’ll make much of a difference,” Paquin added. “But I’m hopeful enough common-sense conservatives will rally behind the establishment choice, as vague a choice as it is with such a diluted field.” |
| Meanwhile, a handful of candidates gave interviews with morning anchors in an effort to sway undecided voters. In a telephone interview with the Fox News Channel, Trump called on Rubio to drop out of the race. | Meanwhile, a handful of candidates gave interviews with morning anchors in an effort to sway undecided voters. In a telephone interview with the Fox News Channel, Trump called on Rubio to drop out of the race. |
| Calling him “Little Marco Rubio” — a phrase he has taken up, along with “Lying Ted Cruz” — he declared of the Florida senator, “I think he has to get out. You know, he hasn’t won anything, and Ted Cruz very rightly points out, you know, Marco has not won.” | Calling him “Little Marco Rubio” — a phrase he has taken up, along with “Lying Ted Cruz” — he declared of the Florida senator, “I think he has to get out. You know, he hasn’t won anything, and Ted Cruz very rightly points out, you know, Marco has not won.” |
| In a separate phone interview,George Stephanopoulos of ABC’s “Good Morning America” asked the GOP front-runner whether he categorically rejects the support of all white supremacists, a controversy that erupted over the weekend when Trump did not immediately disavow former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke during a CNN interview. | In a separate phone interview,George Stephanopoulos of ABC’s “Good Morning America” asked the GOP front-runner whether he categorically rejects the support of all white supremacists, a controversy that erupted over the weekend when Trump did not immediately disavow former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke during a CNN interview. |
| “Of course I am. Of course I am,” he responded. “I mean there’s nobody that has done so much for equality as I have. You take a look at Palm Beach, Florida, I built the Mar-a-Lago Club, totally open to everybody. A club that, frankly, set a new standard — a new standard in clubs and a new standard in Palm Beach — and I’ve got great credit for it. That is totally open to everybody.” | “Of course I am. Of course I am,” he responded. “I mean there’s nobody that has done so much for equality as I have. You take a look at Palm Beach, Florida, I built the Mar-a-Lago Club, totally open to everybody. A club that, frankly, set a new standard — a new standard in clubs and a new standard in Palm Beach — and I’ve got great credit for it. That is totally open to everybody.” |
| [Tump claims no one ‘has done so much for equality,’ citing his private club] | [Tump claims no one ‘has done so much for equality,’ citing his private club] |
| Trump also suggested he is expanding the GOP’s base of support by appealing to Democrats and independents, even though some say he is alienating some traditional Republican backers. | Trump also suggested he is expanding the GOP’s base of support by appealing to Democrats and independents, even though some say he is alienating some traditional Republican backers. |
| “We have tremendous numbers of people coming in, and the Republican Party is growing larger,” he said. If it fails to do that, he added, “it’s not going to win.” | “We have tremendous numbers of people coming in, and the Republican Party is growing larger,” he said. If it fails to do that, he added, “it’s not going to win.” |
| While voting results could give Trump a critical boost over his closest rivals, a well-funded super PAC is ramping up its effort to discredit the New York businessman with a new television advertisement that portrays him as a predatory huckster who scammed working- and middle-class Americans. | While voting results could give Trump a critical boost over his closest rivals, a well-funded super PAC is ramping up its effort to discredit the New York businessman with a new television advertisement that portrays him as a predatory huckster who scammed working- and middle-class Americans. |
| The 60-second ad, which will begin airing Wednesday on stations across the country at a cost of more than $1 million, centers on Trump University, the billionaire mogul’s for-profit enterprise that promised to teach students the tricks of the real estate trade and is now defunct and the subject of a fraud suit. | The 60-second ad, which will begin airing Wednesday on stations across the country at a cost of more than $1 million, centers on Trump University, the billionaire mogul’s for-profit enterprise that promised to teach students the tricks of the real estate trade and is now defunct and the subject of a fraud suit. |
| [Secret Service agent and photographer scuffle at Trump rally] | [Secret Service agent and photographer scuffle at Trump rally] |
| The attack echoes themes that Rubio, who is trying to unite the GOP’s anti-Trump forces under his own banner, has advanced as he has addressed swelling crowds in suburban areas. | The attack echoes themes that Rubio, who is trying to unite the GOP’s anti-Trump forces under his own banner, has advanced as he has addressed swelling crowds in suburban areas. |
| Cruz, who has been partly overshadowed by Rubio in recent days, arrived with his wife and two daughters at a polling place at a Houston community center Tuesday morning. Speaking to reporters before voting, he told reporters that the overall delegate count Wednesday will send a clear signal as to who can halt the billionaire’s rise. | Cruz, who has been partly overshadowed by Rubio in recent days, arrived with his wife and two daughters at a polling place at a Houston community center Tuesday morning. Speaking to reporters before voting, he told reporters that the overall delegate count Wednesday will send a clear signal as to who can halt the billionaire’s rise. |
| “Tomorrow morning, what is likely to happen is Donald Trump is likely to have a whole bunch of delegates. We’re likely to have a whole bunch of delegates, and I think there will be a big, big dropoff for the rest of the field,” he said. “I believe it would be an enormous mistake to nominate Donald Trump, so I speak to unity for Republicans.” | “Tomorrow morning, what is likely to happen is Donald Trump is likely to have a whole bunch of delegates. We’re likely to have a whole bunch of delegates, and I think there will be a big, big dropoff for the rest of the field,” he said. “I believe it would be an enormous mistake to nominate Donald Trump, so I speak to unity for Republicans.” |
| But if the polls and roaring crowds that greeted Trump in Virginia and Georgia on Monday were any indication, he is steamrolling toward a triumphant showing Tuesday. Republican primaries or caucuses will take place in 11 states — seven across the South, as well as in Alaska, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Vermont — and the only one Trump is not expected to win is Texas, where Cruz appears to be the favorite. | But if the polls and roaring crowds that greeted Trump in Virginia and Georgia on Monday were any indication, he is steamrolling toward a triumphant showing Tuesday. Republican primaries or caucuses will take place in 11 states — seven across the South, as well as in Alaska, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Vermont — and the only one Trump is not expected to win is Texas, where Cruz appears to be the favorite. |
| [Overshadowed by Trump and Rubio, Cruz sees Texas as his last stand ] | [Overshadowed by Trump and Rubio, Cruz sees Texas as his last stand ] |
| On the Democratic side, Clinton was widely expected to sweep six Southern states, including Virginia, where her longtime friend Terry McAuliffe is governor. Clinton’s trouncing of Sanders in South Carolina on Saturday, by nearly 50 percentage points, revealed an overwhelming advantage among African American voters that should play out in the minority-heavy South on Tuesday. Less clear is whether her winning streak will dampen Sanders’s previous advantage among the five other states at stake — Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Massachusetts and Sanders’s home state of Vermont. | On the Democratic side, Clinton was widely expected to sweep six Southern states, including Virginia, where her longtime friend Terry McAuliffe is governor. Clinton’s trouncing of Sanders in South Carolina on Saturday, by nearly 50 percentage points, revealed an overwhelming advantage among African American voters that should play out in the minority-heavy South on Tuesday. Less clear is whether her winning streak will dampen Sanders’s previous advantage among the five other states at stake — Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Massachusetts and Sanders’s home state of Vermont. |
| Although Clinton is still waging a hard-fought nomination battle against Sanders, she also began pivoting this week to her likely general-election opponent, Trump. | Although Clinton is still waging a hard-fought nomination battle against Sanders, she also began pivoting this week to her likely general-election opponent, Trump. |
| Taking questions from traveling reporters for the first time in months, Clinton said while campaigning in Minneapolis that Trump appears to be “on the path” to the GOP nomination. | Taking questions from traveling reporters for the first time in months, Clinton said while campaigning in Minneapolis that Trump appears to be “on the path” to the GOP nomination. |
| “I’m just speaking out against bigotry and bullying wherever I hear it,” said Clinton, who was campaigning with Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (D). “And I hear a lot of it from the Republican candidates.” | “I’m just speaking out against bigotry and bullying wherever I hear it,” said Clinton, who was campaigning with Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (D). “And I hear a lot of it from the Republican candidates.” |
| While Minnesota holds its caucuses Tuesday evening, by that point Clinton is expected to be in Florida, hosting a campaign victory party in a state that will be politically important later in the month. Florida will award 214 delegates on March 15. | While Minnesota holds its caucuses Tuesday evening, by that point Clinton is expected to be in Florida, hosting a campaign victory party in a state that will be politically important later in the month. Florida will award 214 delegates on March 15. |
| [Even before Super Tuesday, Clinton is thinking about a likely matchup with Trump] | [Even before Super Tuesday, Clinton is thinking about a likely matchup with Trump] |
| Sanders, meanwhile, cast his vote early Tuesday at a polling station in Burlington, Vt., the city where he served as mayor in the 1980s. Vermont is one state he seems certain to win. | Sanders, meanwhile, cast his vote early Tuesday at a polling station in Burlington, Vt., the city where he served as mayor in the 1980s. Vermont is one state he seems certain to win. |
| “I will tell you: After a lot of thought, I voted for me for president,” a smiling Sanders told one man after taking a selfie with him. | “I will tell you: After a lot of thought, I voted for me for president,” a smiling Sanders told one man after taking a selfie with him. |
| The man patted him on the back and laughed. “Congratulations, Bernie. Good luck out there,” he said. | The man patted him on the back and laughed. “Congratulations, Bernie. Good luck out there,” he said. |
| Outside, Sanders told reporters it was an “enormously important day.” | Outside, Sanders told reporters it was an “enormously important day.” |
| “Today is the day people can stand up and say ‘no’ to a rigged economy,” he said. | “Today is the day people can stand up and say ‘no’ to a rigged economy,” he said. |
| More delegates are up for grabs Tuesday than on any other single day in the Democratic nominating calendar. | More delegates are up for grabs Tuesday than on any other single day in the Democratic nominating calendar. |
| Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who remains a long shot for the GOP nomination, said Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends” that he plans to remain in the race, because his supporters are expressing their beliefs through his candidacy. | Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who remains a long shot for the GOP nomination, said Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends” that he plans to remain in the race, because his supporters are expressing their beliefs through his candidacy. |
| “And I think they have a right to be heard,” he said. “At some point, the people will wake up. The question is, when will that happen?” | “And I think they have a right to be heard,” he said. “At some point, the people will wake up. The question is, when will that happen?” |
| Wagner reported from Burlington, Vt.; Eilperin from Washington. Katie Zezima in Houston; Patricia Sullivan in Arlington, Va.; Laura Vozzella in Richmond, Va. Abby Phillip in Minneapolis, Minn.; Anne Gearan and Paul Kane in Washington; Robert Costa in Atlanta; Jose A. DelReal in Nashville; Fenit Nirappil in Norfolk, Va.; Ed O’Keefe in Alcoa, Tenn.; and David Weigel in Castleton, Vt., contributed to this report. | Wagner reported from Burlington, Vt.; Eilperin from Washington. Katie Zezima in Houston; Patricia Sullivan in Arlington, Va.; Laura Vozzella in Richmond, Va. Abby Phillip in Minneapolis, Minn.; Anne Gearan and Paul Kane in Washington; Robert Costa in Atlanta; Jose A. DelReal in Nashville; Fenit Nirappil in Norfolk, Va.; Ed O’Keefe in Alcoa, Tenn.; and David Weigel in Castleton, Vt., contributed to this report. |