黑料社

WASHINGTON鈥擱epublican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton took major steps toward claiming their parties鈥� presidential nominations with sweeping wins on Super Tuesday, the biggest day in the primary campaign.

Clinton and Trump each won seven states, as the front-runners padded their leads in the all-important delegate counts that determine the parties鈥� nominees.

Though state primaries and caucuses will continue for months, rivals will be hard-pressed to catch up with the front-runners.

That increases the likelihood of a Trump-Clinton showdown in the November election, offering voters what would likely be the starkest contrast in presidential candidates they have seen in their lifetimes.

Clinton turned away from rival Bernie Sanders and set her sights on Trump as she addressed supporters during a victory rally in Miami.

鈥淚t鈥檚 clear tonight that the stakes in this election have never been higher and the rhetoric we鈥檙e hearing on the other side has never been lower,鈥� said Clinton, who is trying to become America鈥檚 first female President.

Trump, too, had his eye on a matchup with Clinton, casting her as part of a political establishment that has failed Americans.

鈥淪he鈥檚 been there for so long,鈥� Trump told a news conference at his swanky Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. 鈥淚f she hasn鈥檛 straightened it out by now, she鈥檚 not going to straighten it out in the next four years.鈥�

But Tuesday鈥檚 results did little to clarify which of two senators鈥擳ed Cruz or Marco Rubio鈥攎ight emerge as Trump鈥檚 main Republican rival, with both vowing to fight on despite weak performances.

Cruz, a firebrand conservative senator, won the biggest prize, his home state of Texas, and neighboring Oklahoma, as well as Alaska, giving him four wins overall, including the leadoff Iowa caucuses.

But Cruz failed elsewhere in the South, which was considered prime territory for him, watching as Trump displayed surprising strength with evangelical Christians and social conservatives.

Still, Cruz called on Rubio and other candidates to step aside. 鈥淚 ask you to prayerfully consider our coming together, united,鈥� Cruz said.

Rubio emerged on Tuesday with his first victory, in the Minnesota caucuses, but he did not live up to the wider hopes of the numerous Republican officeholders who have promoted him as the party鈥檚 best alternative to Trump.

His hopes are now on the March 15 primary in his home state of Florida, where, unlike Tuesday鈥檚 contests, the winner will claim all the delegates.

Tougher than expected

In the Democratic race, Clinton faced a tougher-than-expected challenge from Bernie Sanders, a Vermont senator and self-described democratic socialist who has energized supporters with his calls for a 鈥減olitical revolution鈥� and denunciations of America鈥檚 wealth gap.

But Sanders has struggled to expand his base beyond young people and liberals.

Sanders won four states on Tuesday鈥擟olorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma and his home state of Vermont. But Clinton won the biggest states and by wide margins, giving her a much larger share of delegates.

Clinton was assured of winning at least 457 of the 865 delegates at stake on Super Tuesday, while Sanders picked up at least 286 delegates.

Overall, Clinton now has at least 1,005 delegates. Sanders had at least 373. It takes 2,383 delegates to win the nomination.

Clinton won in Texas, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia. The wins reflected her strength in the South, where black voters are an important part of the Democratic base. Clinton also won in the South Pacific island chain of American Samoa.

7 states for Trump

Clinton was supported by at least 80 percent of black voters in the Deep South and Texas. She was also bolstered by women and older voters.

Trump won in Virginia, Arkansas, Alabama, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont and Georgia.

Trump won 203 delegates on Tuesday, while Cruz picked up 144. Overall, Trump leads the field with 285 delegates, with 1,237 needed for the nomination.

Cruz has won 161 delegates, Rubio has 87, Ohio Gov. John Kasich has 25 and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson has eight.

Both Cruz and Rubio have launched furious verbal attacks on Trump in recent days, but some in the party establishment fear the anti-Trump campaign has come too late.

Republicans spent months largely letting Trump go unchallenged, wrongly assuming that his populist appeal with voters would fizzle. Instead, he鈥檚 appeared to only grow stronger, winning states and drawing support for some of his most controversial proposals.

In six of the states voting on Tuesday, large majorities of Republican voters said they supported a proposal to temporarily ban all noncitizen Muslims from entering the United States, an idea championed by Trump.

The exit polls were conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.