Tuesday primaries.
Front- runners Trump and Clinton hope for strong showings Tuesday.
Enough delegates are up for grabs to turn Trump and Clinton from front- runners to likely nominees. The biggest prizes are Florida and Ohio.
hanoverton, ohio » The tumultuous presidential primary season barreled toward a potentially decisive day for Republicans and Democrats, with enough delegates up for grabs Tuesday to turn DonaldTrump and HillaryClinton from front- runners to likely nominees.
The biggest prizes are Florida and Ohio, states with a long history of making or breaking White House aspirations.
Missouri, Illinois and North Carolina also offer a crucial cache of delegates that could help Trump and Clinton pull away from their rivals.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio hoped the two big states would give them a boost instead. Kasich seemed to have a better chance at that than Rubio.
The contests come at a remarkable moment in the presidential race for Republicans. Animosity towardTrumphas risen to the point where he can rarely get through an event without being interrupted by protesters. The front- runner is also under scrutiny for appearing to encourage his supporters to physically confront those protesters, deepening divisions within the Republican Party.
In a jab at Trump, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan ofWisconsin said candidates “need to take responsibility for the environment at their events.”
“There is never an excuse for condoning violence, or even a culture that presupposes it,” Ryan toldWRJN, a radio station in Racine, Wis.
Even with the new controversy, Trump holds a comfortable lead in the GOP delegate count and could put himself well on hisway to the nomination if he sweeps Tuesday’s contests. During a campaign stopMonday inTampa, Fla., where he appeared alongside former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Trump was looking toward the general election.
“Ifwe win Florida andwe win Ohio, we can go and attack Hillary,” he said.
Pivotal primaries
Five delgate-rich states in the South and Midwest are up for grabs Tuesday for both parties.
Heading into Tuesday, the billionaire businessman is locked in a tight contest in Ohio with Kasich, the state’s governor. Seeking a final boost in his home state, Kasich spentMonday campaigning alongside Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee and a fierce critic of Trump.
“This is the guy Ohio has to vote for, and America’s counting on you,” Romney told the crowd at a Kasich event in North Canton. Although Romney has not endorsed Kasich, he’s said he will do whatever is needed to help Trump’s rivals.
Florida Sen. Rubio also hopes to block Trump in a do- or- die primary in his home state, although polling suggests he is slipping further behind. The senator tried to stay upbeatMonday, perhaps his final full day of campaigning in the race.
“Tomorrow’s the day where we are going to shock the country,” Rubio said in Jacksonville.
Trump’s closest competition has come from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who has defeated the businessman in seven states. He’s also the only remaining GOP candidatewho still says unequivocally that he would support Trump if he becomes the nominee.
Among Democrats, Clinton has been itching to look ahead to the general election but continues to face persistent competition from Bernie Sanders. WhileClinton maintains a commanding lead in the delegate count, Sanders breathed new life into his campaign with a surprising victory last week in Michigan.
Reprising a theme that helped propel that Michigan win, Sanders on Monday pounded Clinton’s past support for trade deals such as theNorth American Free Trade Agreement.
“When it came down whether you stand with corporate America, the people who wrote these agreements, orwhether you stand with the working people of this country, I proudly stood with the workers,” Sanders said in Youngstown, Ohio.
Clinton’s teamis attempting to tamp down expectations for Tuesday night. Still, she’s looking toward the general election and escalating attacks on Trump, saying he’s “inciting mob violence” at his rallies.
“I do hold him responsible,” she said in an interview with MSNBC. “He’s been building this incitement, he’s been leading crowds in jeering protesters.”