Three Western states voted Tuesday after the presidential candidates each made statements about the Brussels attacks [1]. There was a primary in Arizona, a caucus in Utah, and a Democratic caucus in Idaho. (Not sure what the difference is between a primary and caucus? This should help you out. [2]) On Wednesday morning, former GOP candidate Jeb Bush endorsed Ted Cruz [3]. Get more details ahead.
Here's what happened:
- Donald Trump [4] and Hillary Clinton won big in Arizona, according to the AP [5]. Arizona was the major state to watch, since it was a winner-take-all contest for the Republicans.
- Bernie Sanders took Utah and Idaho with major margins, while Ted Cruz came out victorious in Utah. John Kasich didn't win any states or delegates.
- Including Tuesday's results, Clinton has 1,214 delegates, while Sanders claims 911 out of the 2,383 needed to win. (This count does not include superdelegates [6], many of which have pledged to vote for Clinton but can still change their minds.)
- On the GOP side, Trump has amassed 738 delegates, Cruz has 463, and Kasich has 143 out of the 1,237 needed.
Here's what it means:
- Most of the Southern and Midwestern states have already hosted elections, so this could be an indication of how the upcoming Western states with similar demographics will vote.
- Clinton swept the older and minority Democrats in Arizona, while Trump did well there because of his anti-immigration rhetoric — two patterns we will likely see again.
- Although Cruz took all the delegates in heavily religious Utah, unless he wins big in remaining contests like Washington, it seems unlikely that he can force a brokered convention [7] in July.
- And despite looking like he doesn't have the math behind him [8] to beat Clinton, Sanders proved he's still a force in the Democratic campaign, especially among heavily white states like Idaho and Utah.
Here's what's next:
- Democrats in Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington will get to cast their votes on Saturday when all three states host Democrat-only caucuses.