Hillary, Trump rack up more wins

Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump have both won the most states in the biggest day of the race for the US presidential nomination. (2/3/2016) Photo: Reuters.

AFP, Washington

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton each took a giant step toward securing the White House nominations of their parties Tuesday, thumping rivals in a slew of "Super Tuesday" primaries.
Bellicose billionaire Trump weathered a barrage of attacks from fellow Republicans to win at least five of 11 states, according to projections, coming within striking distance of becoming the Republican nominee to replace President Barack Obama.
Clinton bested rival Bernie Sanders handily across a host of southern US states -- Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas -- winning big among African-American voters in a vindication of her strategy of embracing Obama.
She also reversed her 2008 primary loss in Virginia, bolstering her general election credentials.
Super Tuesday is 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.
The scope and scale of the victories will sow terror among establishment Republicans, who fear the party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan could face electoral annihilation against Democrats in November.