represented a stunning defeat for home-state Sen. Marco Rubio, who suspended his campaign for the White House.
But
Ohio Gov. John Kasich eked out a win in his home state primary, denying
Trump a much hoped for victory in the other crucial winner-take-all
state of the night and increasing the likelihood of a contested GOP
convention this summer.
While
Trump nearly ran the table Tuesday, Illinois, North Carolina and
Missouri (where he held a slim lead over Cruz) were not winner-take-all
primaries, meaning that he will have to share the delegates awarded,
once again prolonging the race for the GOP nomination.
And
though Trump’s wins Tuesday looked to put him at least halfway to the
1,237 delegates he needs to claim the nomination, neither Kasich nor
Cruz signaled any plans to leave the race. “Do
you want a candidate who shares your values? Or a candidate who has
spent decades opposing your values?” Cruz told his supporters at an
election night rally in Houston.
For
his part, Rubio did not immediately give up his delegates, delivering a
concession speech that was more confrontational towards Trump than
conciliatory. “The easiest thing to have done in this campaign [would
have been]… to make people angrier, make people more frustrated,” Rubio
said in a clear reference to Trump. “But I chose a different route, and
I’m proud of that.”
On
Tuesday, Trump seemed to be trying his best. In a departure from
earlier election nights, he refrained from bashing his opponents or
calling on them to quit the race. Instead, he spoke of continuing his
push toward the nomination and beating Hillary Clinton, who held her
election night rally just a few miles away from his, in nearby West Palm
Beach.
“We’re going forward,” Trump said. “And we’re going to win, win, win.”
Yahoo News
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