Super Tuesday 2016: Live Updates and Analysis
Today is a critical day as voters in a total of 12 states and 1 territory cast their ballots for who they believe should be their party's presidential nominee. Super Tuesday will be winnowing the presidential field -- possibly ending a campaign for some -- or helping a dark horse gain momentum. Keep checking back for updates as the ABC News political team reports on Super Tuesday.
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John Kasich on Super Tuesday: 'We Have Absolutely Exceeded Expectations'ABC's BENJAMIN GITTLESON, REBECCA JARVIS, and DANIEL STEINBERGER: In short remarks just now in a hotel in Mississippi, before dozens of Mississippi Republicans, John Kasich celebrated what he called his strong showing in Vermont, Massachusetts and Virginia, and he pledged to beat Donald Trump in Ohio.
"I can say that we have absolutely exceeded expectations,” he said. "We are running right now neck and neck with Donald Trump in the state of Vermont… with a race too close to call.”"That’s not exactly my home – Vermont,” he said, after noting he spoke with Newt Gingrich earlier and that they were surprised at the results.
"We are basically tied for second in the state of Massachusetts,” he said. "We are picking up delegates in the state of Virginia, where I think we’ll see some decent results in some of the suburban areas.”He said he’d do well in Mississippi, then the race would move up north. "We will beat Donald Trump in the state of Ohio,” he proclaimed.8:33 PM - 01 Mar 2016- Reply
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Kasich Gets Personal in Campaign SpeechABC's JEFF NAFT: In his opening remarks at a reception and dinner hosted by the Central Mississippi Republican Organization in Jackson, Kasich told a touching story about
his father, a mailman, and his mother, who both were killed by a drunk driver.“And I remember standing in the funeral home, and the line way out the door, way down the street with people coming to see me to tell me about my daddy. And what he had meant to their families. Could you have a better legacy? Could you have made a better mark?”
The Ohio governor then went on to praise his mother. “My mother -- she was something else.” said Gov. Kasich. “That was my mother, hell on wheels. You know she was so articulate and so smart and I consider her to be a visionary. My mother really shook it up.”
In a powerful conclusion, Gov. Kasich rejected the notion that in order to win the Republican nomination he would need to engage in dirty politics and attack his fellow Republicans.
“I would rather lose than to engage in these underhanded tactics that lowered the bar in American politics today. You know what? We are not electing class president. Or class clown. We are electing the leader of the free world.”
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Oh this @realDonaldTrump bust definitely exists. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CcglcB-W4AIILxn.jpg
by Brad Mielke via twitter 3/2/2016 2:28:20 AM -
by Brad Mielke via twitter 3/2/2016 2:28:26 AM
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delegates won #SuperTuesday so far: Trump 147, Cruz 52, Rubio 31, Kasich 14, Carson 2.by Rick Klein via twitter 3/2/2016 2:54:03 AM -
Clinton and Sanders have not spoken tonight, per Clinton aideby Liz Kreutz via twitter 3/2/2016 3:08:41 AM -
“While Democrats have seen turnout drop across the board, the record number of Republicans who have gone to the polls in each state shows the country is ready for change after eight years of failed leadership from President Obama," reads the statement from Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus released tonight. "Democrats simply aren’t being energized by Hillary Clinton’s calculated campaign to maintain the status quo or Bernie Sanders’ fringe calls for a socialist ‘revolution.'
“The Democrat Primary has become a race to the far left between an embattled frontrunner facing an FBI investigation and a self-avowed socialist who continues to win states and outraise the Clinton machine. At the end of the day, Democrats are saddled with two fundamentally flawed candidates destined to fail in a general election and a message that isn’t resonating or in line with the majority of Americans.” -
Ben Carson: 'I Am Not Ready to Quit'
ABC's KATHERINE FAULDERS: He’s still in it…for now.
Addressing a crowd of about 200, Ben Carson said he’s not going anywhere just yet.
“I am not ready to quit,” he said, opening not by addressing his support in the polls, but rather touting his support on social media.
“We have millions of Americans saying on Facebook you cannot leave us.”
But towards the end, he sounded more resigned, in what sounded like an endorsement of the eventual nominee.
“Even if we get a very imperfect candidate in there, it’s unlikely that they will destroy America,” Carson said. “If we go home and we don’t vote, I do believe that America will be destroyed…it’s hard for me to say that but you have to deal with reality. God’s timetable is different than our timetable.”
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.@tedcruz campaign manager on delegate count. Campaign has said Wednesday morning will be all about delegate count twitter.com/jeffroe/status…by Jessica Hopper via twitter 3/2/2016 3:15:23 AM -
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Donald Trump Thanks Supporters; Congratulates Cruz's Texas Win, Calls Rubio 'Lightweight'
ABC's DAVID CAPLAN: Donald Trump took to the stage at a watch party at his Mar-A-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, Tuesday night.
"This is has been amazing evening...I want to congratulate [Cruz] on winning Texas, that was an excellent win," Trump said. "We are going to make America great again, folks."
He added, "This was an exciting evening, it's great to be here with my friend...I know it was a tough night for Marco Rubio, I know he's a lightweight."
Trump, who owns a home in West Palm Beach, spoke on a stage lit with blue and red lights in the luxury golf resort's White and Gold Ballroom, which features ornate gold decorations lining the walls and ceiling. Read more here.
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Cruz to rivals: "I ask for you to prayerfully consider coming together. Uniting."by Rick Klein via twitter 3/2/2016 3:20:51 AM
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If Rubio is going to win anywhere tonight, it will be MN. But he may not hit 20 in VT, TX, TN, AL - means shut out of most delegates there.by Rick Klein via twitter 3/2/2016 3:41:12 AM
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Bernie Sanders won independent Oklahoma voters 66-22, enough to cancel out Clinton's edge among Democratic voters. Read more here. -
How Voters are Showing Off They Participated in Super Tuesday
ABC's CARLY ROMAN: Some voters were looking to stick it to the competition as they
exited their Super Tuesday polling locations. In what has become an American
tradition, voters from across the country donned "I voted" stickers
after they cast their votes. Stickers may feature anything from the American
flag to a Georgia peach. Even dogs aren't excluded, with some four-legged
"voters" boasting "I voted" stickers on their foreheads and
shoulders.Ellie tagged along to vote with me today and she got her very own #iVoted sticker from a man outside. #SuperTuesday https://t.co/LKxh2lhsAu
2:00 PM - 01 Mar 2016- Reply
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1:23 PM - 01 Mar 2016- Reply
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Ted Cruz Positions Himself As Anti-Trump Candidate
ABC's JEFF NAFT: Celebrating projected wins in Texas and Oklahoma on Super Tuesday, Sen. Ted Cruz labeled his victories as a central turning point for his campaign. The Texas senator called for his fellow Republican candidates to consolidate behind him and take on billionaire Donald Trump together.
“For the candidates who have not yet won a state, who have not racked up significant delegates, I ask you to prayerfully consider our coming together. Uniting. We welcome you on our team united as one. That is the only way to beat Donald Trump. Our campaign beats Donald Trump resoundingly. For that to happen we must come together.” Read more here.
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ANALYSIS -- ABC's RICK KLEIN: The Republican Party isn’t all that divided, actually. After
Tuesday night, the GOP looks remarkably united – behind someone who happens to
divide.
If you judge the party by its voters, as opposed to its leaders, the Republican Party belongs to Donald Trump. With at least five wins Tuesday, and running against a still-divided opposition, Trump is taking control the old-fashioned way: by getting more votes than the others.Republican voters want an outsider who “tells it like it is” and will build a border wall and ban Muslims from entering the country. They may not have known they wanted those things until Trump landed on the scene – but that’s the point of a candidacy that is shaking a major party’s foundations.
Super Tuesday provided convincing evidence that Trump’s appeal extends across Cracker Barrel territory and well into Whole Foods land, to borrow a phrase used by FiveThirtyEight.com. Two states where Trump romped – rolling up some of his biggest margins yet -- tell that story.
Massachusetts is a New England state that’s the fifth wealthiest in the nation. Alabama is a Southern state that’s the fifth poorest. On Tuesday, they formed unlikely poles holding up a broadening Trump tent. Read more here.
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Delegates estimated so far:
Trump: 258
Everybody else: 229by Evan McMurry via twitter retweeted by VeronicaStrac 3/2/2016 5:14:37 AM -
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Video: Super Tuesday Results and Analysis
ABC NewsABC News' Shushannah Walshe breaks down the results from Super Tuesday. -
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ABC's RYAN STRUYK: We are still awaiting a finalized delegate count at the end of the night, but right now, Clinton is leading Sanders by more pledged delegates than Obama’s widest lead over Clinton among pledged delegates in 2008. Obama’s largest pledged delegate lead of 2008 was 152 delegates after the North Carolina primary on May 6. She’s now up by 179. The Clinton campaign is already celebrating.After tonight's results are fully counted, Clinton's pledged-delegate lead over Sanders will likely surpass Obama's largest-ever lead in 0812:20 AM - 02 Mar 2016
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Twitter Mocks Christie During Trump's Super Tuesday SpeechABC's PAOLA CHAVEZ and JENNIFER HANSLER: Donald Trump’s Super Tuesday speech had all the optics of a picture-perfect election event: a gilded room, a podium with his name in front a row of American flags. Then former presidential candidate and now-Trump supporter Chris Christie took the stage.
“He's shown himself to be a fighter,” Christie said of the GOP frontrunner. “A leader who speaks plainly to the American people.”
But when Trump took to the podium and Christie took a prominent position just behind the GOP frontrunner, the chatter on social media quickly turned. Twitter users were quick to seize upon Christie’s facial expression during parts of Trump’s speech, which many described as sad, scared, or miserable. The hashtag #FreeChristie took off. Read more here.
"Last thing I remember is being thrown into a car with a 'Make America Great Again' sticker...how did I get here?" https://t.co/DoY2z4aY3i10:04 PM - 01 Mar 2016- Reply
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10:06 PM - 01 Mar 2016- Reply
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Video: Super Tuesday Live Stream Coverage from ABC News: Special Report
ABC NewsSuper Tuesday Live Stream Coverage from ABC News: Special Report
