Hillary Clinton sprints to Super Tuesday delegate lead

Mar 02, 2016, 10:31

Hillary Clinton enters a series of Super Tuesday contests poised to extend her lead over Democratic rival Bernie Sanders, who risks a major setback for his insurgent campaign if he has a poor showing in primaries and caucuses across the nation.

States holding voting contests in both parties Tuesday are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia.

More important, she won the backing of almost 90 percent of black voters, signaling a refortification of a once-reliable voting block which will have huge sway in numerous Super Tuesday voting states.

What little polling was done in the Vermont Democratic primary ahead of Super Tuesday predicted that Sanders would win there handily.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders I-Vt. laughs as he arrives with his wife Jane Sanders and his son Levi Sanders to a primary night rally in Essex Junction Vt. Tuesday

In the Republican race, Ted Cruz, a firebrand conservative senator, won his home state of Texas and Oklahoma and Marco Rubio, a favorite of the Republican establishment, won in Minnesota for his first victory.

The Florida senator's long-shot White House hopes now rest with his home state, which votes on March 15.

"The rhetoric has never been lower", Clinton told supporters in Miami, Florida. "We're going to not allow billionaires and their super PACs to destroy American democracy". Including superdelegates party leaders who get to vote for candidates at the convention Clinton now has at least 882 delegates. The Vermont senator did carry his home state decisively on Tuesday, and told the crowd at a raucous victory party that he was "so proud to bring Vermont values all across this country".

But as she tightens her grip on the Democratic race, she has increasingly turned her attention to Mr Trump, who has proposed to build a wall on the United States border with Mexico.

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About half of independents went for Trump - though he won mainline Republicans as well.

Clinton steadied herself after an unexpectedly strong challenge from Sanders.

Meanwhile, Ted Cruz has only won three states so far, and, unlike Trump, his appeal outside heavily evangelical regions appears limited.

The top quality voters in both Virginia and Georgia are looking for in a candidate is experience, according to early results of the exit poll.

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"I am confident that if there is a large voter turnout today across this country we are going to do well", Sanders said after voting.

Cruz called on the GOP to unify behind his candidacy, "the only campaign that has beaten, that can beat and that will beat Donald Trump".

The tycoon said he is "a unifier" who soon wanted to put internal Republican squabbles behind him to focus on Mrs Clinton.

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