US presidential primaries heat up on Super Tuesday

Last night, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump each won 7 of 11 states up for grabs in the day of primary elections and caucuses known as Super Tuesday. These elections — which are done state by state and run from February 1st to June 14th — are used by each party to select their Presidential nominee (these two nominees then face one another in the actual Presidential election in November).

For now, the Democratic and Republican races stay the same. Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump were both already the frontrunners in their respective parties. But their competitors are still in the running.

Democrat Hillary Clinton won Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Meanwhile, her opponent, Senator Bernie Sanders won four states: Colorado, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and his home state, Vermont.

What this means: With over 2/3rds of the country’s states left, there is still time for Sanders to make a comeback, but Clinton’s lead is strong.

Republican Donald Trump won Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia. His nearest competitor, Senator Ted Cruz, won three states: Alaska, Oklahoma, and his home state, Texas. Marco Rubio won his first state, Minnesota.

What this means: Trump’s lead over Cruz and Rubio is not as big as Clinton’s over Sanders, but most feel that the only way for either Cruz or Rubio to defeat Trump is to have the one of them drop out of the race.