Tuesday, March 15, 2016
CLEVELAND (AP) — Hillary Clinton triumphed Tuesday in the Florida, Ohio and North Carolina presidential primaries, putting her in a commanding position to become the first woman in U.S. history to win a major party nomination. But the night did not bring the same clarity to the Republican race, with Donald Trump winning big in Florida but falling in Ohio to the state’s governor, John Kasich.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio ended his once-promising campaign after his devastating home-state loss, so the GOP primary is now down to three candidates: Trump, Kasich and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
Trump also picked up wins in North Carolina and Illinois, and was locked in a close race with Cruz in Missouri.
He told a victory rally, “This was an amazing night.”
But it was far from clear if he can reach the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination, ratcheting up the prospects of a contested convention.
“The campaign goes on,” Kasich declared at a victory rally. Now thrust into the center of a campaign that has been bitingly personal, Kasich vowed to “not take the low road to the highest office in the land.”
A confident Clinton pivoted quickly to November during her victory rally, assailing Trump’s hardline immigration positions and support for torture. “Our commander-in-chief has to be able to defend our country, not embarrass it,” she declared.
Underscoring Republican concerns about Trump, Rubio focused heavily on an implicit critique of Trump in a speech announcing he was dropping out of the race. The senator urged Americans to “not give in to the fear, do not give in to the frustration.”
A favorite of Republican leaders, Rubio is the latest candidate to fall victim to an unpredictable election cycle and Trump’s unmatched ability to tap into the public’s anger with Washington and frustration with sweeping economic changes.