Donald Trump swept through all five states holding presidential primaries on Tuesday, winning in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Rhode Island, Delaware and Connecticut, and solidifying his position as GOP front runner.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton won Maryland and Delaware, as she sought to shift her focus on the November general election. She led rival Bernie Sanders in Pennsylvania, and Sanders led in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
The contests were dubbed yet another "Super Tuesday," with the five mid-Atlantic states holding primaries.
Trump was looking to widen his delegate lead, hoping to draw lopsided margins in some states if he has a chance to capture the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the nomination before the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July.
His rivals, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, announced an agreement earlier this week to divvy up several states that hold primaries in May as a way of denying Trump the ability to reach that threshold. But there have been questions about how effective such a pact would be, and even if Cruz and Kasich would stick to it.
On the Democratic side, Clinton was looking for a sweep of the five states, enough for her supporters to make the case to rival Bernie Sanders that his quest for the nomination is not just a longshot, but implausible given the delegate count. She needs 2,383 delegates to secure the nomination, and is about 250 pledged delegates ahead of Sanders, and 700 total delegates.
Cruz, speaking to supporters in Kingstown, Ind., earlier in the evening, predicted that the media would be quick to declare Trump the presumptive nominee knowing that he would be easier for Clinton to beat in November.
"Donald Trump is going to win some states, and the media is going to have heart palpitations this evening," Cruz said.
"I got good news for you, tonight this campaign moves back to more favorable terrain," Cruz said, a reference to the Hoosier state, where he expects his prospects to improve.
Sanders gave no indication that he was looking to bow out of the race. Speaking to supporters in Huntington, W. Va., he reminded how he has gone from being a "fringe" candidate in the eyes of the media to one who is leading in some national polls. He also cited polling showing he does better as a challenger against Trump or Cruz than Clinton.
But Sanders suffered a big defeat last week in New York, and he seemed to suggest to his backers that he was hobbled by the inability of independents to vote in that state's Democratic primary as well as in other states.
© 2026 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.