Trump wins South Carolina; Clinton takes Nevada

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Donald Trump claimed a big victory in South Carolina’s Republican primary Saturday, deepening his hold on the GOP presidential field as the contest moved into the South. Out West, Hillary Clinton pulled out a crucial win in Nevada’s Democratic caucuses.

The victories put Clinton and Trump in strong positions as the 2016 presidential election barreled toward the March 1 Super Tuesday contests, a delegate-rich voting bonanza.

Clinton’s roughly 5-point win eased the rising anxieties of her backers, who feared a growing challenge from Bernie Sanders.

Trump’s showing in South Carolina marked his second straight victory in the Republican primaries and strengthened his unexpected claim on the GOP nomination.

Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, a pair of freshman senators, were locked in a race for second place in South Carolina. Jeb Bush and other candidates lagged far behind.

For both parties, the 2016 election has laid bare voters’ anger with the political establishment. The public mood has upended the usual political order, giving Sanders and Trump openings while leaving more traditional candidates scrambling to find their footing.

Trump’s victory comes after a week in which he threatened to sue one rival, accused former President George W. Bush of lying about the Iraq war and even tussled with Pope Francis on immigration.

For Cruz, even a second-place finish in South Carolina would be something of a disappointment. The state was his first test of whether his expensive, sophisticated get-outthe-vote operation could overtake Trump in a Southern state.

Florida’s Rubio is positioned as the more mainstream alternative to Trump, who many GOP leaders believe are unelectable in November. Rubio scored the endorsements of several prominent South Carolina politicians, including Gov. Nikki Haley.

South Carolina looked to be a bitter disappointment for Bush, who campaigned alongside members of his family.