Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton dominate Super Tuesday with 7 wins each

WashingtonWith at least seven victories each in Super Tuesdays nomination contests across 12 states Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton tightened their respective grips on the Democratic and Republican presidential nominationsBut the brash billionaires two main rivals managed to keep their hopes alive with Texas senator Ted Cruz winning his home state with the largest number of delegates and Oklahoma and Florida senator Marco Rubio landing his first win in MinnesotaHillary Clinton and Donald TrumpBy midnight Trump had won Alabama Arkansas Georgia Massachusetts Tennessee Virginia and Vermont while Clinton took Alabama Arkansas Georgia Massachusetts Tennessee Texas and VirginiaBernie Sanders Clintons selfstyled Democratic Socialist rival captured Colorado Oklahoma Minnesota and his home state of VermontThis has been an amazing night said a triumphant Trump in a victory speech in Florida with his Tuesdays win stretching his lead in the Republican White House battle and underscoring his growing support across all sectors of the partyTrump also predicted that he would win the Florida primary in two weeks against Rubio who he called the states little senator and a lightweightCruz cited his victories in Texas and Oklahoma coupled with his victory in the Iowa caucuses as proof that only he can actually beat TrumpAfter tonight we have seen that our campaign is the only campaign that has beaten that can beat and that will beat Donald Trump he told supportersHowever after notching his first win of the 2016 campaign in Minnesota establishment favourite Rubio told CNN that he will move forward and doesnt believe Trump will win the nominationThis is the fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party he said I will go through all 50 states before we stop fighting to save the Republican Party from someone like thatWhat a Super Tuesday Clinton said at a Tuesday night rally after victories in the South demonstrated her strength among AfricanAmerican voters that could make it extremely difficult for Sanders to win the nominationBut Sanders hoped to halt the Clinton tide with his four victories This campaign is not just about electing a president he said at a rally on Tuesday night in Vermont It is about transforming AmericaA total of 595 Republican delegates of the 1237 needed to clinch the Republican nomination were up for grabs on Tuesday Sanders and Clinton faced off for 865 of the 2383 delegates needed to win the Democratic raceLooking at Trumps triumphant run the New York Times which has endorsed Clinton said The Republicans seem to be reeling unable or unwilling to comprehend that a shady bombastic liar is hardening the image of their party as a symbol of intolerance and divisionThe Republican Party is taking a big step towards becoming the party of Trump it said suggesting that his main challengers Cruz and Rubio are embracing the same game of exclusion bigotry and character assassinationThe Washington Post also suggested that as Trump rampaged through the Super Tuesday states the Republicans were adjusting to a new realityThe disagreement between the Republican conservatives is not so much about whether Trump is acceptable the Post saidIts whether he can be contained by being defeated or whether he can be contained by being influenced as the party nominee who has brought an army of new disgruntled voters to the polls