Marco Rubio who are polling at the bottom of the pack.
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In the two winner-take-all states of Florida and Ohio, Trump was looking to top established home state candidates.
In non winner-take-all states of Missouri, Illinois and North Carolina, Trump was declared the apparent victor. Rubio ended up fourth in the state. Rubio dropped out of the race with only 167 delegates.
“While it is clear that we are on the right side, this year we will not be on the winning side”, Rubio said.
But in the other state pundits are closely watching, dark horse candidate Ohio Governor John Kasich has won his home state.
“I want to congratulate Marco Rubio on running a great campaign”. Given the math, that is likely Kasich’s only route to the party’s nomination.
On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, 68, won in Florida, Ohio and North Carolina, putting more distance between herself and rival Bernie Sanders, 74, a US senator from Vermont. A total of 358 delegates are at stake on Do-or-Die Tuesday. Her win in OH was a particular relief for her campaign, which grew anxious after Sanders pulled off a surprising win last week in MI, another important Midwestern state. The Democratic races in IL and Missouri on Tuesday had yet to be decided. The only state Rubio has won is the Minnesota caucuses. To win by that kind of a number is incredible.
“This is the little engine that can”, a jubilant Kasich said. “He is smart and he has got a great future”.
The wins have Trump well on his way to a several hundred delegate lead.
If no candidate for the nomination can earn a majority of delegates in the party’s votes and caucuses, then Republican delegates will battle through however many rounds of voting are needed to come to a consensus on a nominee. Cruz, who had his most disappointing night of the campaign, finished with 396 delegates.
There are still 107 delegates left to be allocated. And polls going into Tuesday’s vote had Trump and Kasich in a virtual tie.
“I represent you”, he said to loud cheers, “It’s my job to listen to your problems and then go and fix them”.
“We’re going to win, win, win, and we’re not stopping”, he predicted. Cruz is hoping for a strong night in IL; he visited five cities on Monday.
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President Barack Obama said he had been dismayed by events on the campaign trail and said he rejected “any effort to spread fear or encourage violence”.
