The polls closed for the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries in five states — Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Missouri and Illinois — on Tuesday and while Donald Trump failed to record a clean sweep, he did force Republican rival Marco Rubio to call it quits.
Hillary Clinton won at least four states, dealing a severe blow to Bernie Sanders’ bid to slow her march toward the Democratic nomination.
Trump and Hillary Clinton were declared the winners in the Sunshine State as they recorded substantial victories in the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries respectively.
WATCH: Trump, Clinton pad leads in primary results. Jackson Proskow reports.
While Trump was able to beat Rubio in his home state of Florida, he was unable to do beat Ohio governor John Kasich in the Buckeye State. Both states were winner-take-all for the Republicans.
It was Kasich’s first win in 2016 and allows him to collect 66 delegates.
“We put one foot in front of the other and I want to remind you that I will not take the low road to the highest office in the land,” Kasich told supporters Tuesday in a not-so-subtle shot at Trump’s campaign.
Kasich’s win may prevent Trump from having enough delegates to win the Republican nomination ahead of the GOP convention.
WATCH: John Kasich says his campaign will continue after winning Ohio
While Trump failed in Ohio, the Republican front-runner was able to pick up wins in North Carolina and Illinois in addition to Florida.
Get daily National news
READ MORE: Super Tuesday 3: Why Florida and Ohio are the key for anti-Donald Trump voters
He once again pledged to make America “great again” but was “sorry” to say that he will need the assistance of the nation’s wealthiest to pull it off.
“We’re going to make our country rich again. We’re going to make our country great again,” Trump said while addressing a crowd in Palm Beach, Florida. “And we need the rich in order to make it great, I’m sorry to tell you.”
WATCH: Trump congratulates Rubio on running a “tough campaign”
Tuesday was a super day for Clinton as she also topped Bernie Sanders in Ohio and North Carolina in addition to her win in Florida.
““This may be one of the most consequential campaigns of our lifetimes,” Clinton said as she addressed supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida.
WATCH: Hillary Clinton wins state heavyweights Florida, Ohio
She also spoke of how she was closing in on earning the Democratic presidential nod.
Both the Republican and Democratic primaries in Missouri were too close to call Wednesday morning.
With Republican Marco Rubio suffering such a substantial loss in his home state, he chose to bow out of the race.
“While it is not God’s plan that I be president in 2016, or maybe ever, and while today, my campaign is suspended, the fact that I’ve even come this far is evidence of how special America truly is,” Rubio said.
WATCH: Rubio drops out of race for Republican presidential nomination
Rubio took a veiled shot at Trump in his concession speech, saying he chose not to run a campaign based upon “resentment.”
“The politics of resentment against other people will not just leave us a fractured party…will leave us a fractured nation,” Rubio said.
Cruz said at a Houston rally that the battle for the Republican presidential nomination battle was a “two-person race” between himself and Trump. He did not mention Kasich by name.
Trump now has 621 delegates. Cruz has 396 and Kasich 138. Rubio left the race with 168 delegates. It takes 1,237 delegates to win the Republican nomination for president.
With her wins Tuesday, Clinton put herself in a commanding position to become the first woman in U.S. history to win a major party nomination.
Overall, Clinton has at least 1,561 total delegates including superdelegates, who are elected officials and party leaders free to support the candidate of their choice. Sanders has at least 800 delegates when the count includes superdelegates. It takes 2,383 to win the Democratic nomination.
– With files from The Associated Press
Comments