While the two biggest winners of Super Tuesday were predictably former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and businessman Donald Trump, their opponents did not go home empty handed. Here’s the latest on the presidential primary that is far from over.
Donald Trump
Coming in first place in all but two of the 12 states Republican primaries were held in, Trump brought his delegate total to 258, still far from the 1,237 needed to secure the GOP nomination.
“We're going to create jobs like you've never seen,” Trump told his supporters in Palm Beach, Florida on Tuesday night. “We're going to lower taxes substantially for the middle class," who Trump said have been "forgotten."
Trump then turned his victory speech into a press conference. In a question about rumors of Republican Party members conspiring for a possible third party run against him, Trump called the idea "the act of a loser."
"We've actually expanded the party," Trump said, citing independents and Democrats voting for him in the primary process.
Though tonight is a huge win for Trump, Conservative Review reporter Rob Eno told RT’s Ed Schultz that no one seems willing to drop out.
"We've never seen what happens when people stay in, and I think you're going to see that this time, especially if Marco Rubio pulls out a win in Florida," Eno said, meaning the GOP nomination may not be decided any time soon.
Hillary Clinton
On the Democratic side, of the 11 states voting on Super Tuesday, Clinton ended up winning all but three, earning herself a total of 984 delegates, setting her on a less bumpy path to attaining the 2,383 required for her party’s nomination.
"Now this campaign moves forward to the Crescent City, the Motor City, and beyond," Clinton told supporters at her victory rally in Miami, Florida.
"This country belongs to all of us, not just those at the top. Not just to people who look one way, worship one way, or even think one way," Clinton continued. "Instead of building walls, we're going to break down barriers and build ladders of opportunity and empowerment."
Avoiding any reference of Sen. Bernie Sanders, Clinton said the campaign stakes have never been higher and "the rhetoric we're hearing on the other side has never been lower."
On the question of whether Clinton can win over Sanders’ younger supporters, Nate Madden, a staff writer for The Conservative Review, told RT: "If Bernie Sanders is telling you it's raining, it's raining. If Hillary Clinton is telling you it's raining, she might be selling umbrellas," noting radio talk show host Dennis Prager first used the analogy.
Bernie Sanders
Senator Bernie Sanders did not outperform Clinton, but he won decisively in Colorado and Oklahoma while overwhelming the Vermont primary, bringing his delegate count to 347. The three victories mean he won more states than any of Trump’s Republican challengers.
"This campaign, as I think all of you know, is not just about electing a president. It is about transforming America,” Sanders told supporters at a rally in Vermont. “It is about dealing with unpleasant truths that exist in America today and having the guts to confront those truths.”
“He is running to create this political revolution that will give the power back to the people every single election cycle, so that we can elect folks to office who care more about the people than they do about their next election, so we're feeling good tonight, Ed," Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, a Sanders supporter, told RT's Ed Schultz on Tuesday night.
Ted Cruz
Winning in his home state of Texas was a must, but Senator Ted Cruz also won in the neighboring state of Oklahoma, putting his delegate total at 142, about as far away from Trump’s total as it is ahead of Senator Marco Rubio’s.
Cruz relished in his many second place finishes of the night, implying that the rest of the field ought to drop out to make way for the true anti-Trump candidate.
“Tonight this campaign enters a new phase," Cruz told supporters at a rally in Stafford, Texas. “The voters have spoken."
“So long as the field remains divided, Donald Trump's path to the nomination remains more likely,” Cruz said to loud boos.
David Goodfriend, a Democratic strategist, told RT, “You listen to these Democrats talking, they're talking about what people care about. You look at what the Republicans are doing, they look like a middle school brawl on a playground,” adding, “Regardless of who gets the most delegates or who comes out ahead or behind, I think the Democratic Party is going to come out way ahead tonight because of how these two leading candidates are behaving."
Marco Rubio
Just because Rubio didn’t win a single state on Super Tuesday, and hasn’t won any at all so far, doesn’t mean he doesn’t get to collect delegates. His sometimes strong second and third place finishes have earned him 78 delegates so far.
"We are seeing in state after state his numbers coming down, our numbers going up," Rubio said of Trump at a Miami, Florida rally on Tuesday evening.
"We will not allow the party of Reagan and Lincoln to fall into the hands of a con-artist," Rubio said.
John Kasich
Ohio Governor John Kasich also had impressive second place showings, though they were in Massachusetts and Vermont neighboring New Hampshire, where he also garnered second place. Kasich has yet to do well outside the New England region, leaving him with a paltry 24 delegates.
“Tonight I can say that we have absolutely exceeded expectations,” Kasich told supporters in Vermont on Tuesday evening, noting his close finishes and promising to defeat Trump in the upcoming Ohio primary.
Ben Carson
And then there is the retired neurosurgeon Dr Ben Carson, now with eight delegates, three of which he won in Virginia tonight after a fifth place finish.
“We still have millions of Americans who are saying on Facebook, you cannot leave us," Dr Carson said at a rally, showing no signs of quitting, though he did admit to feeling discouraged.