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Trump marches toward nomination as Clinton sweeps south on Super Tuesday Trump marches toward nomination as Clinton sweeps south on Super Tuesday
(about 1 hour later)
A pitched battle for the White House between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton moved closer to becoming reality as both leapt further ahead in the first battleground states of a marathon Super Tuesday.A pitched battle for the White House between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton moved closer to becoming reality as both leapt further ahead in the first battleground states of a marathon Super Tuesday.
On the most important night of the presidential race so far, early results from states in the east and south showed Clinton grinding down the challenge from Vermont senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary. Early results also pointed toward Trump taking a commanding lead in the bitterly fought race for the Republican nomination. On the most important night of the presidential race so far, Clinton was grinding down the challenge from Vermont senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary, beating him in six of the eight states declared.
Voters were having their say across 12 states from Alaska in the west to Massachusetts in the east, Minnesota in the north and Texas in the south. And with hundreds of delegates at stake in the nomination battles, Super Tuesday was shaping up to be a defining night. In the Republican race, with eight of the 11 states declared,Trump had won six of them, taking a commanding lead in the bitterly fought race for the Republican nomination. Maverick Texas senator Ted Cruz won his home state and Oklahoma whilst the establishment’s last hope, Marco Rubio, was left adrift.
By 9pm EST, the Associated Press had declared that Clinton and Trump had each won five states, cementing their frontrunner status. Voters were having their say across 12 different states from Alaska in the west to Massachusetts in the east, Minnesota in the north and Texas in the south. And with hundreds of delegates at stake in the nomination battles, Super Tuesday was shaping up to be a defining night.
Clinton won in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia, while Sanders won his home state of Vermont. By 10.20pm EST, the Associated Press had declared that Clinton and Trump had each won six states, cementing their status as frontrunners.
Trump won the first five Republican results, losing in Oklahoma to Ted Cruz, who also won his home state of Texas. Clinton won in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia, while Sanders won his home state of Vermont and Oklahoma.
Shortly before 9pm EST, Clinton, appearing at a noisy victory rally in Miami, a hoarse-sounding Clinton shouted: “What a Super Tuesday!” Trump won the first five Republican results of the night – Alabama, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Virginia, and later added Arkansas.
Shortly before 9pm EST, appearing at a noisy victory rally in Miami, a hoarse-sounding Clinton shouted: “What a Super Tuesday!”
Looking ahead to New Orleans, Detroit and the looming contests in Louisiana and Michigan, she said: “Now this campaign goes forward to the Crescent City, the Motor City and beyond.”Looking ahead to New Orleans, Detroit and the looming contests in Louisiana and Michigan, she said: “Now this campaign goes forward to the Crescent City, the Motor City and beyond.”
And looking farther down the road to a potential head-to-head with Trump, she said: “I’m going to keep saying it: I believe what we need in America today is more love and kindness.” And looking farther down the road to a potential head-to-head with Trump, she said: “I’m going to keep saying it: I believe what we need in America today is more love and kindness.
“The stakes have never been higher,” she said, “the rhetoric we are hearing on the other side has never been lower.”“The stakes have never been higher,” she said, “the rhetoric we are hearing on the other side has never been lower.”
Sanders won resoundingly in his home state of Vermont. However, his campaign team and his wife, Jane, had conceded earlier that the day ahead looked difficult. “It’s a rough map for us,” said the senator’s wife, as the campaign team returned to their home in Burlington after clocking up a 6,200-mile trip to eight states in three days.Sanders won resoundingly in his home state of Vermont. However, his campaign team and his wife, Jane, had conceded earlier that the day ahead looked difficult. “It’s a rough map for us,” said the senator’s wife, as the campaign team returned to their home in Burlington after clocking up a 6,200-mile trip to eight states in three days.
Clinton swept convincingly through the southern states of Virginia and Georgia - called by Associated Press the moment the polls closed at 7pm EST, and an hour later in Alabama and Tennessee. It appeared that black voters had once again rallied for her, leaving her 74-year-old rival facing the uncomfortable truth that his political revolution had failed to catch alight away from predominantly whiter states and college campuses. Clinton swept convincingly through the southern states of Virginia and Georgia – called by the AP the moment the polls closed at 7pm EST – and an hour later in Alabama and Tennessee. It appeared that black voters had once again rallied for her, leaving her 74-year-old rival facing the uncomfortable truth that his political revolution had failed to catch alight away from predominantly whiter states and college campuses.
With three-quarters of the Virginia votes counted, Clinton led 64-34. In Georgia, the margin was 74-25 with one quarter of votes counted. With 98% of the Virginia votes counted, Clinton led 64%-35%. In Georgia the margin was 72%-27% with two-thirds of the votes counted.
“It’s good to be home,” said a tired-sounding Sanders as he celebrated a thumping win in his home state Vermont, by a margin of 86-13 with 60% of votes counted.
“It’s good to be home,” said a tired-sounding Bernie Sanders as he celebrated a thumping win in his home state Vermont, by a margin of 87 top 12 with one in five votes counted.
“I am so proud to bring Vermont values all across this country. Tonight you are going to see a lot of election results come in ... but remember this is not a general election, this is not winner takes all. By the end of tonight we are going to win many hundreds of delegates,” he added.“I am so proud to bring Vermont values all across this country. Tonight you are going to see a lot of election results come in ... but remember this is not a general election, this is not winner takes all. By the end of tonight we are going to win many hundreds of delegates,” he added.
“Let me assure you, we are going to take our fight ... to every one of the states.”“Let me assure you, we are going to take our fight ... to every one of the states.”
In the Republican race, Associated Press declared Trump the winner in Georgia at 7.39 EST. And Trump was named winner in Alabama, Massachusetts and Tennessee as soon as polls closed at 8pm EST. He was pushed hard by establishment hopeful Marco Rubio in Virginia, but prevailed. Shortly after 9pm EST, Cruz won two states - Texas and Oklahoma was declared the winner in Cruz’s home state of Texas. As the night went on, the Sanders campaign was still hopeful of causing an upset in Colorado, and was within touching distance, trailing 51%-47%, in Massachusetts with 60% of the votes in.
Trump’s successful run of results, which has owed as much to the fractured nature of the Republican field as to his own brutish determination to tap into the mood of anger at large in the US. Sanders has already indicated that he intends to fight on until the Democratic convention in July. However, whilst he has the funds to do so, he is likely to have little realistic prospect of catching Clinton, leaving his campaign to function merely as a vehicle for keeping the spotlight on his core issues of inequality, corporate greed, free healthcare and college education.
In Vermont, Trump was apparently in a much closer contest with the Ohio governor John Kasich, mirroring last month’ s result in New Hampshire. In the Republican race, Associated Press declared Trump the winner in Georgia at 7.39 EST, followed quickly by Alabama, Massachusetts and Tennessee. He was pushed hard by establishment hopeful Marco Rubio in Virginia, but prevailed. Shortly after 9pm EST, Cruz won two states: Oklahoma and his home state of Texas.
The Sanders campaign was also still hopeful of upsets in Colorado, Oklahoma. In Vermont, Trump was in a much closer contest with Ohio governor John Kasich, mirroring last month’ s result in New Hampshire. Trump led 32%-30% with two-thirds of the results in.
Frontrunners start to size each other up Trump’s successful run of results has owed as much to the fractured nature of the Republican field as to his own brutish determination to tap into the mood of anger at large in the US.
However the early results – and some of the language from frontrunners on a day of grueling campaign travel – suggested that Trump and Clinton were already sizing up one another. But speaking at his victory party in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump claimed: “I am a unifier.”
Both frontrunners ended the night with rallies in Florida, the clearest indication they were pushing past Super Tuesday to the next contests. Florida is in play on 15 March in the primaries and will be key to the hopes of both parties in the presidential run-off in November. He said: “This has been an amazing evening ... We’ve already won five, it looks like we can win six or seven or eight or nine.”
Clinton had travelled from Minnesota where, in a Minneapolis coffee shop, she took questions from the travelling press for the first time in 88 days. Asked if Sanders still had a path forward after Super Tuesday, she said: “We just want to do as well as we can ... Let’s see what voters decide in all these states that are lined up today and then we’ll take stock after it’s over.” Insisting he would make the Republicans “a finer, unified party”, Trump said: “We’re gonna make America great again, folks ... We’re gonna make America great.”
On Trump becoming the nominee, she said: “Obviously he’s done very well. He could be on the path.” Clinton, Trump start sizing up one another
But she also criticised him for failing to distance himself from the support of former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke. “I was very disappointed that he did not disavow what appears to be support from David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan that is exactly kind of the statement that should be repudiated upon hearing it.” Like Clinton, Trump ended the night with a rally in Florida, the clearest indication they were both pushing past Super Tuesday to the next contests – and already sizing up one another. Florida is in play on 15 March in the primaries and will be key to the hopes of both parties in the presidential run-off in November.
Trump told an audience in an Ohio aircraft hangar on Tuesday that he was the only Republican capable of beating Clinton, vowing to raise every day the controversy over her use of a private email address as secretary of state. “Clinton does not have the strength or the stamina to be president,” he claimed, deriding his nearest Republican opponents as “Little Marco” Rubio and “Lyin’ Ted” Cruz. Trump derided Clinton’s desire to make America whole again and citing the controversy over her use of personal email, he said: “I’m going to be going after Hillary Clinton – if she is allowed to run.”
Within the Republican hierarchy, however, there was little enthusiasm for a Trump candidacy. House speaker Paul Ryan also expressed grave concern that Trump had still not unequivocally disavowed the support of the KKK chief. Ryan warned: “If a person wants to be the nominee of the Republican party … they must reject any group or cause that is built on bigotry.” He added: “What she did was a criminal act. If she is allowed to run, honestly, it will be a sad day for this country.”
In the Republican field – down to a final five – Rubio is yet to win a race, but hopes that a significant number of second-place finishes would confirm him as the only hope of stopping Trump. Within the Republican hierarchy, however, there was little enthusiasm for a Trump candidacy. Earlier in the day, House speaker Paul Ryan expressed grave concern that Trump had still not unequivocally disavowed the support of Ku Klux Klan chied David Duke. Ryan warned: “If a person wants to be the nominee of the Republican party … they must reject any group or cause that is built on bigotry.”
He could theoretically start to close the gap in states such as Ohio and Florida, which operate a “winner takes all” approach to allocating the delegates who need to be amassed before the Republican convention in July. Cruz would have a reason to stay in the race with a win in Texas. Ohio senator John Kasich has indicated he will stick around until his home state votes on 15 March, while soft-spoken outsider Ben Carson has also shown no appetite for removing himself from the race. Ted Cruz, last of the main candidates to speak on the night, was in bullish form after his victories. Trump, he said, would be “a disaster for Republicans, for conservatives and for the nation ... Our campaign is the only campaign that has beaten, can beat and will beat Donald Trump.”
Sanders voted yesterday in his home state after covering thousands of miles since his Saturday defeat in South Carolina. In the Republican field, down to a final five, Rubio is still yet to win a race but clings on. He struck a defiant tone despite a dismal showing in which the senator failed to rack up a single win – and appeared short of the 20% threshold in certain states to secure any delegates.
He has already indicated that he intends to fight on until the Democratic convention in July. However, whilst he has the funds to do so, he is likely to have little realistic prospect of catching Clinton, leaving his campaign to function merely as a vehicle for keeping the spotlight on his core issues of inequality, corporate greed, free healthcare and college education. Speaking in his hometown of Miami, Rubio said it would be up to Florida to shift the direction of the race. “Two weeks from tonight, right here in Florida, we are going to send a message loud and clear,” Rubio said. “We are going to send a message that the party of Lincoln and Reagan, and the presidency of the United States, will never be held by a con artist.”
The early Super Tuesday results are broadly in line with opinion poll projections and, while still leaving a mathematical chance that Trump and Clinton can be caught, suggest that voters in November’s general election will be presented with one of the starkest electoral choices in a generation: the first woman president or a brash billionaire whose remarkable success has been forged by rejecting all the rules of modern politics. Rubio could theoretically start to close the gap in states such as Ohio and Florida, which operate a “winner takes all” approach to allocating the delegates who need to be amassed before the Republican convention in July. But he has so little momentum, his chances appear almost nonexistent.
Meanwhile Kasich has indicated he will stick around until his home state votes on 15 March, while soft-spoken outsider Ben Carson has also shown no appetite for removing himself from the race.
While still leaving a mathematical chance that Trump and Clinton can be caught, the Super Tuesday results suggest that voters in November’s general election will be presented with one of the starkest electoral choices in a generation: the first woman president or a brash billionaire whose remarkable success has been forged by rejecting all the rules of modern politics.