After the primary in Kasich’s home state was projected in his favor, the governor first celebrated in a phone call to CNN, predicting that the momentum from a Buckeye State victory could propel him to the convention.
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Rubio implicitly rebuked Trump throughout a speech announcing he was dropping out of the race, imploring Americans to “not give in to the fear, do not give in to the frustration”.
Rubio, the 44-year-old first-term senator, had positioned himself as the only person who could stop Trump, and had gone on the attack, memorably bringing up the size of the Trump’s hands during a campaign rally and at a presidential debate.
KASICH’S COURSE: With his home state of OH in the rearview mirror, it’s time for Kasich to try to lay out a plausible path to the nomination despite having won only that state. Ted Cruz, is hoping to pick up enough delegates to force a contested national GOP convention in July. Sanders is unlikely to overtake Clinton in the delegate count, but his victory last week in MI underscored the unease that many party voters have about her candidacy. “America now has a clear choice”, Cruz told supporters in Houston.
But a visibly more confident Clinton shifted her focus quickly to November’s general election by attacking Trump’s anti-immigrant stance and support for torture. “We’re having to update, I guess”.
“America is in the middle of a real political storm, a real tsunami and we should have seen this coming”, Rubio said.
But most outside analysts now think those efforts will be futile. While such no candidate has been identified, the participants in Tuesday’s meeting planned to discuss ballot access issues, including using an existing third party as a vehicle or securing signatures for an independent bid.
“We’re going to win OH”, he predicted.
Here’s how the states voted Tuesday. Trump won 41% of the vote, and Texas Sen.
In the Democratic race, Clinton is likely to widen her delegate lead over Sanders, a Vermont senator and self-described democratic socialist. Rubio left the race with 167 delegates.
The Clinton camp is banking on the former secretary of state’s edge with minority voters to put large delegate hauls in the bank in North Carolina and Florida.
Shortly after 7:15 p.m., Rubio said he would suspend his campaign.
But the outcome in the Sunshine State wasn’t a surprise.
Trump was the brand more Florida voters were buying.
Trump tried Sunday to shift attention away from the intense criticism that followed Friday’s harrowing scenes in Chicago, where he cancelled a scheduled rally amid sometimes violent confrontations among his supporters, protesters and authorities. Yet here, too, the fracas seemed to have little impact on the race. Three had him up by 5 or 6 percentage points, while Kasich and Trump were tied in two polls.
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Sixty-nine delegates were at stake, to be awarded proportionally. He captured 41 percent of the vote, with Cruz taking 37 percent, with 80 percent of precincts reporting. “I like the way he talks, the way he stands up for everything”, she said, adding that she’s convinced her candidate can make the country better. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., gestures as he speaks at the Ohio Democratic Party Legacy Dinner at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, Sunday, March 13, 2016. Kasich said earlier this month, hinting at his plans that are – after tonight’s win – fully in motion.
