Will Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton carry the day? Five states and hundreds of delegates are on the line, giving Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz and John Kasich a chance to change the dynamic of the presidential primary race before it winds down.
Going into the "Acela" primary day – so named after the Amtrak express train that serves millions of riders every year from Washington to Boston – here are all the candidates' delegate counts.
Clinton has 1,428 pledged delegates and 516 superdelegates. Sanders has 1,153 pledged delegates and 39 superdelegates. They will be competing in primaries in Connecticut (with 55 delegates), Delaware (21 delegates), Maryland (95 delegates), Pennsylvania (189 delegates), and Rhode Island (24 delegates). For the Democratic Party nomination, 2,383 total delegates are needed, and there are 1,629 still available.
WATCH: Can Bernie Win Another Super Tuesday?
Trump has 845 delegates, Cruz has 559 and Kasich has 148. They will also be competing in Connecticut (with 28 delegates), Delaware (16 delegates), Maryland (38 delegates), Pennsylvania (17 delegates) and Rhode Island (19 delegates). For the Republican Party nomination, 1,237 total delegates are required, meaning that if Trump clears the field Tuesday, he will be near close enough to declare only he has a mathematical pathway to the nomination, while Cruz and Kasich will have to hope for a contested convention to go their way. There are 733 GOP delegates still available.
All polling opens at 7:00 am except for Connecticut, which opens its polls at 6:00 am. All states will close their polls at 8:00 pm, and all are on East Coast time.
27 April 2016
Joining ‘News With Ed’ as the Acela primary results roll in is RT America’s Manila Chan, reporting from the site of a Hillary Clinton rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a state Clinton is expected to win. Chan speaks with voters on the issues, and Mike O’Brien, State Assemblyman of the 31st ward. Then, Ed Schultz is joined by Manuel Rapalo from Maryland, moments after Clinton clinched the win. Rapalo also speaks with voters and Kathleen Mathews, congressional candidate (D-MD).
Clinton wins Pennsylvania.
While voters wait for Democrat results from Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, many have taken to Twitter to express their feelings about the results.
Trump has been declared winner of all five states, Clinton has been named winner of Delaware as well.
Almost instantaneously, the Associated Press called Connecticut, Maryland and Pennsylvania for Trump. At the same time, Maryland was called for Clinton.
26 April 2016
Today is a big day for the presidential candidates, but they are not the only fighting for votes.
Polls have officially closed in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Stay tuned for updates!
The 2016 primary elections have seen a growing number of complaints and frustrations towards politics in general as well as the media's coverage. Voters took their complaints to Twitter, using the hashtag #ElectionPlotTwist to humorously voice their frustrations.
Donald Trump's daughter Tiffany voted for her father in the Pennsylvania Republican primary.
The 22-year-old is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania.
Voters in at least one Philadelphia precinct said they weren't able to vote for Bernie Sanders in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary.
Maryland doesn't have a voter ID requirement.
It's an exciting day for first-time voters.
But others weren't so lucky.
Early voting took place in Maryland between April 14 and 21.
GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump tweeted that Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders should run as an independent.
In Connecticut, there are problems with out-of-state IDs not being accepted.
Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders is in Philadelphia.
Though Pennsylvania is sending 71 delegates to the GOP convention in July, only 17 are pledged to the winner of the primary. The remaining 54 delegates are free to support anyone they want on the convention ballot.
Republican front-runner Donald Trump blasted the unusual arrangement at a campaign event in West Chester, Pennsylvania on Monday night.
"It's as crooked almost as Hillary Clinton," Trump said, according to Reuters.
Polls show Trump in a convincing lead in all five states.
Tuesday's vote has also been described as "Super Tuesday 4," until the "Acela" moniker caught on.
Another nickname going around is the "I-95 primary," after the interstate highway going through the states involved.
Bernie Sanders says he believes he stands a “very good chance” at winning some of the states today.
“...I think we have a shot in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, maybe Delaware. I think Maryland is going to be tougher for us...I think we've got a path to victory, and we're going to fight this until the last vote is cast,” the Democratic candidate told CNN.
Polls have now opened in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.
Of the 93,823 new voters registered in Connecticut since January 1, the majority – 46,492 – are Democratic voters. A total of 21,448 Republicans were registered, along with 25,883 unaffiliated voters. A small number have registered with minor parties.
Election officials in Connecticut have reported a surge in voter registrations, citing the state's rare opportunity to make a major impact.
“I think that people know that there’s a contest and they want to be part of it,” Secretary of State Denise Merrill told AP. “Let’s face it: For many years, Connecticut hasn’t exactly been a battleground state. And suddenly, we’re relevant.”
Polls will be open until 8pm EST, but voters already standing in line at that time will still be allowed to cast their votes.
Polls in Connecticut have opened for the Acela Primary, which gets its name from the Amtrak Acela Express train – the only high-speed train that operates in the US. The train connects all five states involved in the Tuesday primary.