He won the biggest prize – all 99 Florida delegates – as well as winning North Carolina and IL, and was locked in a tight race with Mr Cruz in Missouri.
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Rubio, who sounded choked up at times, essentially recapped his campaign’s message, and he also called for a conservative movement not built on “preying on people’s frustrations”.
Rubio ended his presidential campaign on the back of his humiliating homestate defeat.
“The most compelling case for John Kasich is to win OH, win it convincingly, and go on as the significant alternative to the center right of Donald Trump”, Republican strategist Tom Rath said.
Trump won the backing of those who think most immigrants should be deported and of those in favor of a temporary ban on non-citizen Muslims entering the country.
He has seized on Americans’ anger with Washington politicians, winning over voters with his simply worded promise to make America great again.
Republican presidential candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich meets with attendees during a campaign stop on Monday, March 14, 2016, at the MAPS Air Museum in North Canton, Ohio.
Despite being a popular governor in OH, having easily won a second term to the governorship, (he won all but two counties in Ohio’s 2014 gubernatorial election), this win wasn’t necessarily guaranteed for Kasich.
In those two winner-take-all states, Trump was looking to top established home state candidates.
The violence appears to have had minimal effect on Trump’s national lead among Republicans, as the billionaire reality star continues to write his own narrative. It takes a majority, which raises the possibility of a contested convention with an uncertain outcome.
For Democrats, the primaries offered front-runner Clinton a chance to solidify her lead over Bernie Sanders, while the Vermont senator was hoping to build on a surprising win last week in MI. He has criticised the former secretary of state for her past support for trade deals. Both candidates are gearing up for big celebrations in Florida tonight but both candidates have yet to address the media and declare their victories.
With her wins Tuesday, Clinton put herself in a commanding position to become the first woman in USA history to win a major party nomination.
But it’s unclear how Kasich, a contender who has won only one state and who has been laboring in obscurity for much of the race, can overtake Trump, who has now won 18 states and is far ahead in the delegate race.
Trump received almost twice as many votes as Rubio in Republican stronghold Collier County.
He continued, “In a year like this, that would have been the easy way to win, but that’s not what’s best for America”. “We have had very, very little difficultly”.
Mr Rubio and Mr Kasich have suggested they might not support Mr Trump if he is the nominee.
If Trump fails to take OH, there is another scenario that could play out if Cruz manages to perform strongly outside the Trump-friendly Northeastern states.
Alluding to Trump, President Barack Obama said Tuesday he was dismayed by “vulgar and divisive rhetoric” directed at women and minorities as well as the violence that has occurred in the campaign.
In recent weeks, Republicans who dislike Trump have banded to wage multimillion-dollar advertising campaigns against him. That gave him 469 to 370 for Cruz, 163 for Rubio and 63 for Kasich.
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Florida Senator Mr Rubio took to the stage in Miami to congratulate Mr Trump on his win on his home turf.
