Super Tuesday – Trump and Clinton Win Big

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump did not sweep Super Tuesday, but he's turned in another dominant performance nonetheless.

Trump won seven of the 11 states in which Republicans voted. He charged past days of insults from Sen. Marco Rubio and intense criticism from leading Republican officials across the nation. The strong performance adds to his delegate lead, and the unfortunate reality for GOP leaders is that his grasp on the party's presidential nomination is growing stronger by the day.

The establishment's last opportunity to stop the former reality television star is likely a series of winner-take-all states on March 15. But given Trump's dominance so far, there's little reason to believe he will struggle, especially as his Republican rivals continue to divide the rest of the electorate.

Clinton strong in the South

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Clinton had a strong showing in the South on Super Tuesday, and she'll use those contests to build an advantage over Bernie Sanders that will be difficult to overcome.

When added to her massive lead among the party's superdelegates, Clinton is now in as strong a position to win the Democratic nomination as she's ever been.

Her sweeping victories in large states like Texas, Virginia and Georgia give her an edge that is reminiscent of Barack Obama's delegate lead over Clinton in the 2008 primaries. Obama used a South Carolina victory to build momentum in Super Tuesday and never relinquished his advantage. Clinton is poised to do the same.

With large states like Florida, Illinois and Ohio looming on the calendar, she is poised to parlay victories that could elevate her to presumptive nominee status.