The contest for the next president of the United States took a significant turn this week as Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton both trounced their opponents in a New York primary contest that had been widely viewed as pivotal.
Clinton, a former New York senator, secretary of state and first lady, beat Sen. Bernie Sanders handily despite large and excited crowds that cheered him in days leading to Tuesday’s primary. Clinton won 57.9 percent to Sanders’ 42.1 percent. Clinton now has 1,424 delegages to Sanders’ 1,149. With super delegates who have committed to voting for Clinton, she actually has 1,893 if they remain loyal. It takes 2,393 to win the nomination.
Where Clinton and Sanders appeared to split the White vote right down the middle, Clinton clearly led with at least 75 percent of Black voters, according to widespread reports based on exit polls.
“The race for the Democratic nomination is in home stretch and victory is in sight”, Clinton joyously announced.
“Senator Cruz is just about mathematically eliminated,” proclaimed Trump, a native New Yorker and billionaire entrepreneur, who reaped a whopping 60.5 percent of the votes over 25.1 percent for John Kasich and only 14.5 percent of Sen. Ted Cruz. Cruz had been gaining significantly behind Trump in delegates. Trump now has 845 of the 1,237 it would take to win the nomination. Cruz has 559 and Kasich has 147.
After this presidential campaign that has been largely marked by scathing personal attacks and name-calling, political viewers will now watch closely as the candidates compete in the final states until June 14. And then on to the Republican National Convention July 18 in Cleveland and the Democratic National Convention starting July 25 in Philadelphia where the party nominees are slated to be selected. The following is the schedule of final primaries and caucus for both parties:
April 26 – Connecticut Republican and Democratic primaries, Delaware Republican and Democratic primaries, Maryland Republican and Democratic primaries, Pennsylvania Republican and Democratic primaries, Rhode Island Republican and Democratic primaries
May 3 – Indiana Republican and Democratic primaries
May 7 – Guam Democratic caucuses
May 10 – Nebraska Republican primary, West Virginia Republican and Democratic primaries
May 17 – Oregon Republican and Democratic primaries Kentucky Democratic primary
May 24 – Washington Republican primary
June 4 – U.S. Virgin Islands Democratic caucuses
June 5 – Puerto Rico Democratic caucuses
June 7 – New Jersey Republican and Democratic primaries, California Republican and Democratic primaries, Montana Republican and Democratic primaries, New Mexico Republican and Democratic primaries. North Dakota Democratic caucuses. South Dakota Republican and Democratic primaries
June 14 – District of Columbia Democratic primary
