From Atlanta, Georgia -
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton put their stamp on Super Tuesday, as both cruised to easy victories in the South and took a big step forward in their party's battle for President. But certainly neither locked down their respective nominations, as both will face a spirited challenge over the next two weeks.
Clinton won in Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas and Massachusetts, while Bernie Sanders picked up wins in Vermont, Oklahoma, Colorado and Minnesota.
In the Republican race, Donald Trump also triumphed in seven states, as he won in Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Vermont and Massachusetts.
Ted Cruz won his home state of Texas, next door in Oklahoma, and late night in Alaska.
Marco Rubio picked up his first win in Minnesota.
As expected, Trump did not gain a majority of the Super Tuesday delegates - mainly because of Ted Cruz's strong victory in Texas, where he picked up 100 delegates.
This was my running delegate total as of 6 am:
Now, a quick review for each candidate:
DONALD TRUMP - He won seven states, so Trump certainly grabbed the morning newspaper headlines. But it was not a slam dunk in terms of states and delegates for Trump. Yes, he took about 42 percent of the delegates on Super Tuesday. But that means those opposing Trump grabbed 58 percent of the delegates, and if the four others want to stay in the race, that math does not get you to a majority to clinch the nomination anytime soon. While Trump won seven, he also came close to losing Arkansas, Vermont and Virginia. It was not election dominance, but Trump remains the GOP front runner, and certainly the favorite for the Republican nomination at this point.
TED CRUZ - Not only did Cruz win his home state of Texas, but he also chalked up wins in Oklahoma and Alaska, further boosting his delegate totals. Cruz capitalized on the Lone Star state, winning all but one of the 36 Congressional districts (that one, oddly enough, went to Marco Rubio.) On the downside for Cruz, he did not compete well in Virginia and Massachusetts, finished far back in Vermont, and slipped into second in Georgia.
MARCO RUBIO - The night started off well for Rubio, as he challenged Trump in Virginia, finishing a strong second. Rubio also edged late into second in Georgia, the second time he had bested Ted Cruz in a southern state. But along the way, Rubio left a number of delegates on the table when he failed to reach the statewide threshold for delegates in Alabama, Vermont and Texas. Rubio did show some strength in urban areas, which helped him win Congressional districts in Texas and Georgia, and grab a few district delegates in Tennessee. Still, it was not the best night for Rubio overall.
JOHN KASICH - Kasich was never going to run up the score on Super Tuesday, and he won delegates in the three states that he had focused on - Virginia, Massachusetts and Vermont. But no one predicted that Kasich would come close to winning Vermont, giving Trump a scare well into the night. Still, Kasich only won 21 delegates by my count. He next will try to make waves in Michigan, and then his home state of Ohio on March 15. The bottom line is that Kasich can be part of the anti-Trump coalition in the Buckeye State - there is no way he will get out of the race before he gets the chance to win his home state.
BEN CARSON - Carson was not a factor in any of the states on Super Tuesday. Carson picked up delegates in just two states - Massachusetts and Virginia. Carson is not getting out of the race; he asked the other four candidates to meet with him before the next GOP debate to talk about ways to make the debate more civil. Don't expect anyone to listen to him. For those who want to stop Trump, keeping Carson in the race might actually be a plus, because he likely does drain a few votes away from Trump.
Credit: Jamie Dupree
Credit: Jamie Dupree
DEMOCRATS
HILLARY CLINTON - Like Donald Trump, Clinton won seven states, but because the delegate rules are different, she took a much larger share of the delegates on Super Tuesday. Clinton had gigantic victory margins in southern states like Georgia (42%) and Alabama (58%!). Clinton also won an upset in Massachusetts that few would have predicted. On the other hand, she certainly did not knock out Bernie Sanders. Like the Republicans, the next two weeks will be key, as Clinton remains the favorite for her party's nomination.
BERNIE SANDERS - Sanders won four states, keeping himself alive in the race for the Democratic nomination. Oklahoma was an unexpected win, which helps explain his visits there, as Sanders also won in Colorado and Minnesota. But Sanders made few inroads in the South, and as mentioned above, lost Massachusetts, which was a mental setback. Sanders now gets to wage his fight against Clinton in some key battleground states; like the GOP race, Sanders has a chance through March 15 to show he can stay in, though Clinton remains the favorite.
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