Trump, Clinton capture key wins on Super Tuesday

Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton took big steps toward securing their parties' presidential nominations on Tuesday with a series of state-by-state victories, but their rivals vowed to keep on fighting.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton both took a big leap toward clinching their parties' nomination for the US presidential election, soundly defeating rivals in a slew of Super Tuesday primaries.

The divisive billionaire Trump weathered a barrage of attacks from fellow Republicans to win in seven of 11 states, coming within striking distance of becoming the Republican nominee to replace President Barack Obama. Clinton also racked up seven wins with her strategy of embracing Obama appearing to pay dividends.

She trounced rival Bernie Sanders across a host of southern US states Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas winning big among African-American voters and reversing a 2008 primary loss in Virginia. The former secretary of state also claimed Massachusetts, in a close race. Sanders notched wins in his tiny home state of Vermont, Oklahoma, Colorado and in Minnesota. But he now trails heavily. Both Trump and Clinton signaled their focus is beginning to shift to the general election.

In victory remarks, Clinton attacked Trump's pledge to "make America great again." "America never stopped being great!" she said to cheers from supporters in Miami. "It's clear tonight that the stakes in this election have never been higher, and the rhetoric we're hearing on the other side has never been lower." Trump painted Clinton the former first lady, senator and secretary of state as a Washington insider, who cannot address a furious electorate's desire for change. "She's been there for so long. I mean if she hasn't straightened it out by now, she's not going to straighten it out in the next four years," he said.

 A recent CNN/ORC poll found that both Clinton and Sanders would easily defeat Trump if the general election set for November 8 were held now. But few are likely to underestimate the 69-year-old Trump after his primary rout. Republican unease Super Tuesday was the most pivotal day of the US presidential primary season so far, with half the Republican delegates and a third of Democratic delegates needed to win the nominations up for grabs. Trump's victories were widespread, from Alabama and Georgia in the deep south, to Massachusetts in the northeast, to the vital battleground state of Virginia.

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